The Torchwood Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter
by princess-katie
Summary: Lily - the Doctor's daughter - has finally been reunited with the love her her life, Captain Jack Harkness. She's left her life in the TARDIS behind to go to Torchwood with him, and she'll have to adjust. But with Jack by her side, how hard could it be?
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is the fourth in a series, and the first three are available from my profile  
If you haven't read the first three, basically the Doctor's daughter, Lily, travelled with him. She met Jack, fell in love with him and they got together in series 1. Got separated in Parting of the Ways when Jack died and were reunited in Utopia. Then there was the Year That Never Was, after which Lily chose to stay in Cardiff with Jack, which is where we are now**

**This will follow the second series of Torchwood and will have bits of the fourth series of Doctor Who in there. **

**This first chapter is written in first person but the rest will be in third. This is just an introduction and explains the story so far. **

Chapter One

My name is Lily and for the first time in a long while, I'm really happy because I know everything's going to be alright now.

I guess I should start by saying that I'm not your average person. In fact I could be the least average person you'd ever meet, unless you've already met my dad. Because then I'd the the second least.

While most people are humans living on Earth for about 80 years, watching telly and eating chips, my life has always been very different. I've spent about 200 (maybe 205 or 210 ish) years travelling around in time and space, backwards, forwards, anywhere we want to go, because we have a time machine spaceship.

Oh, and my dad and I aren't human. We're the last two Time Lords - though I suppose I'd be a Time Lady if we were going to get technical about it. There used to be loads of us living on a big burnt orange planet named Gallifrey but the time war took everyone else away. I was really young when that happened, so I can't really remember it. All my life has been travelling in the TARDIS.

My dad - the Doctor - is 900. The reason we can live so long is this little trick we have called regeneration. We can literally change our bodies when we're dying. He's in his tenth regeneration now - he's tall, thin, dark messy hair, looks about 36 or 37.

As for me, I'm still in my first regeneration. I look about 24, I'm quite short, got bright blue eyes and straight black hair which reaches just past my shoulder. For the amount of trouble we get into, it's sometimes a bit unbelieveable that I'm in my first regneration, but it's probably because my dad's so protective.

I love travelling in time, but it hasn't always been the best of times. There was a time, a while back when it all went horribly wrong.

It started off good, turned bad, got worse, got better, worse and not it's better. I guess that's really confusing, so I'll just tell you the whole story.

Dad and I were in London, 2005, when we met Rose, this young London girl. There was a bit of trouble and when we got through it, and it was over, we realised we got on with Rose really well. She was friendly, funny, and just dead nice. We asked her to travel with us and she did, so we quickly became friends. It soon became clear that Dad and Rose were perfect for each other - clear to me at least, even if they did nothing about it.

As we travelled - Face of Boe, Gelth, gaskmask people, Slitheen - I started to feel like a third wheel because of Dad and Rose and how they were sometimes. I felt like I was in the way. But then I met him, and it was perfect.

He was the man who's changed my life, and who's I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. He made me forget the trouble of a time lord being in love with a human. He was the first man I ever fell in love with, and he's the only one.

His name was Captain Jack Harkness. No, not was, is. I was hanging from a barrage balloon in the middle of the 1941 Blitz, and this stranger saved me and took me to his ship. He was this dashing Captain, and we danced ontop of his spaceship, tethered up to Big Ben. We drank champagne and danced to Glenn Miller. He was a flirt, and a conman, and I wasn't going to fall for it.

But then he started travelling and he changed a little. He was still the same person, but he was different too. We started to get closer and I found myself really falling for him. We were in Cardiff one night - there was a Slitheen on the loose, and we had to stop her opening the lift. Jack and I had a kiss by the bay in Cardiff. There was champagne there, too.

I had doubts about being with him, but we had a chat, and Jack managed to push all those worries away, and we were together.

We had about four or five months (it's hard to keep track of time when you're travelling in the TARDIS) but in those few months we were so close and so happy. It was better than I'd ever imagined it would be, even if we didn't tell Rose or my dad. I was worried he'd go off on one.

The day I told my dad, he wasn't happy but they were bigger problems. Just after we told him, something went wrong with the TARDIS and we ended up on this horrible Game Station. There were Daleks taking people away. I never liked Daleks and that made me hate them even more.

The Daleks invaded where we were and Jack and I got seperated. He was on a different floor, on his own. I knew we weren't going to make it out of here and I tried to say goodbye, but he hugged me and kissed me and promised me it wasn't the end. Then they killed him, and I wasn't there. I got to him afterwards, held his dead body, beause I was too late.

The Daleks were finished off when Rose absorbed the Time Vortex, and Dad had to take that energy and ended up regenerating. I wanted to take Jack's dead body with us, but Dad said we had to get going, since he was regenerating. Afterwards I tried to get Dad to take me back for the body or to save him, but he said it was too risky.

I hated the thought of leaving him there, but I didn't have much of a choice. Dad hadn't been happy when he found out about me and Jack, because he said Jack was no good and would just hurt me, but when he saw he grieving, I think he knew I'd really loved Jack, and we hadn't been messing around.

It was so hard, but what choice did I have other than to carry on? I knew Jack wouldn't have wanted me to be miserable - he'd want me to be brave and to carry on.

So the three of us kept travelling- we went to new Earth, met the Face of Boe again, met up with Sarah Jane again - that was good, because I got to teach English for a while. We even went to a parallel universe - Rose's dad was still alive, Mickey's gran was still alive, and Jack was alive. I was thrilled but he wasn't my Jack - he was married to some guy named Ianto. Typical.

Then we ended up in London and things went very wrong again - for me, but more for my dad.

To cut a long story short, there were all these ghosts over the world, and we had to investigate. We ended up at Torchwood One, at Canary Wharf. They were scavengers - horrible really. They'd caught this big ark, but when it opened, it turned out there were stupid Daleks in it. Oh, and the ghosts were really cybermen. Brilliant.

Those from the parallle universe came through and dad said he'd have to open the void to et the daleks and cybermen sucked back in. Problem was, _we _were covered in void stuff too. Dad tried to send Rose to the parallel universe because Mickey and her mum and dad were there, but she loved him too much to leave.

We had to hold onto some clamps when the void opened, and Rose lost her grip. I tried to reach for her, but she was too far away. Her hands slipped again, and she was going to be sucked into the void. At the last minute, parallel Pete came and saved her, transported them both to safety, but then the walls sealed.

Dad was devasted - broken. He wasn't the same, and he still misses her like mad. He managed to get this projection going to say goodbye, and while he was going that, I helped this man from out of the rubble - Ianto. Not the parallel one I'd met. The real Ianto Jones.

I gave my name as Lily Harkness because I'd reverted to using Jack's surname as a way to honour him since he was dead and all. I suggested he look for a different branch of Torchwood to work at, and he told me there was one run by a "Capt-" but then he got cut off becaue dad was ready to go. As I left, he shouted something I didn't catch, and it was months later before I'd realise the significance of it.

So there we were - the two of us. Dad was devasted, since he hadn't had chance to tell her he loved her, and then it was just me and him again

Straight after losing Rose, this woman ended up in the TARDIS - Donna, her name was. Completely mental, but really funny. Once she was sorted out, we asked her to come with us, but she said no. She told us we had to find someone though, to look after us both - we were both incomplete - I needed Jack, he needs Rose.

We _did _find someone else, not long after. A hospital got transported to the Moon by Judoon, and we were in it. We met a medical student named Martha Jones. She was quite nice, though I wasn't too sure of her at first because she seemed to really like my Dad and I knew he was made just for Rose.

Martha ended up travelling with us, and I found that after a while, I warmed to her. She could never replace Rose, but she was something. We went and saw Shakespeare (lovely man - I married him once, though it didn't last long) and we went to New Earth, where the Face of Boe told me something very interesting - I got told that Jack was still alive.

I was completely thrilled, and my first thought was for finding him again. But then I foundout that my dad had known he was alive all along. I was furious with him and there was a huge argument - I felt so betrayed, but after a while we made up, because he's my dad, and he's always been there for me, even if he was wrong this time.

We kept on travelling and everywhere we went I asked people if they knew of a Jack Harkness. No-one did but I was determined I'd find him again one day, because I needed him one day.

Then one night, I had a dream. I remembered meeting Ianto in Canary Wharf, and I suddenly remembered what he'd said. " Run by a guy named Capt-" and " is that any relation to-"

I was certain it had to be Jack, so we went to Cardiff. It was brilliant - Jack came running towards the TARDIS but it took off. We ended up at the end of the universe. Stupid place to be really, but Jack was there. I hugged him and kissed him and we told each other we loved each other, and it was brilliant. I'd dreamed of being with him again, and it didn't matter where we were becuase it was perfect.

Having him back was the best thing ever.

Of course, it couldn't stay perfect for long. I still had Jack, but we were faced with an evil time lord trying to take over the world - the Master. I'd never met him before, but my dad had told me stories, and I knew I didn't want to meet him. Unfortunately, we ended up as captives on his ship.

Martha managed to get off and had to go around trying to save the world by spreading the Doctor's name, but the rest of us were stuck on the ship with the Master. He really was every bit as evil as my Dad had always told me.

He forced Martha's family to be slaves, locked Jack up and killed him over and over again, aged my dad and made him a crippled old man, and as for me ... it hurts to even think about it really. He locked me in a bedroom and left me there for a while.

Then he annoucned that he wanted pure-blooded, time lord children. I'm the only female Gallifreyan left, so he decided he was going to make me pregnant with his child. I was disgusted at the thought, but he intended to do it whether I consented or not.

It was awful and he went ahead with his plan. He did it in front of Jack - pinning me to the walls, too strong for me to fight him off. Jack was in chains and couldn't get out - nothing he could do.

It went on for almost four months but then I managed to escape. It was unbelieveable, and I was in such a state, but I managed to get to Martha, and help her in her work

The year ended, the countdown was over, and it was time to go back to the Valiant - this was yesterday actually.

I was terrified about going back, bu I was going to see Jack and my Dad again, so I knew I'd be aright. When we met the Master again, I wanted him to pay for what he'd done to me - his plan hadn't suceeded, but not for lack of trying. I caught him off guard and hit him a couple of times, gave him a split lip. I was quite proud of that

On the Valiant, I hugged Jack and I was so glad to be with him again. The Master's plan was foiled, the paradox machine destroyed, and time reverted back, so we were the only ones who'd ever know it happened.

Lucy shot the Master and I felt like he deserved it. I wanted him to pay for what had happened. I took the gun from her, and I was going to shoot him myself, I really was. But I didn't. I wa starting to lose my nerve, and Jack took the gun from me and shot the evil man twice himself.

Dad burned the body and then we had a decision to make. I was sad to be leaving Dad, but he said he didn't mind so much, because it was time for me to have my own adventures. Jack had built Torchwood up with me in mind, and I so wanted to be with him.

We landed in Cardiff ten minutes ago, and I said goodbye to my Dad and Martha. I'll still see dad, because I can phone the TARDIS anytime I want, to get him to come and see me.

I'm a bit sad to be leaving him, but I'm so excited about starting out new with Jack. I love himand he loves me, so it's going to be brilliant. Now we're going to go to Torchwood, which Jack's in charge of, and I can't wait to live happily ever after with the man I love.

This is going to be brilliant.

Right now, we're walking across the Roald Dahl Plass, hand in hand. I'm looking forward to this so much, and it doesn't matter what happens, because even if I'm still gettin over everything that happened during the Year That Never Was, Jack loves me, and he'll take care of me.

Yeah, it will be brilliant.

***

**Author's Note: Let me know what you thought, and if you've got any questions or ideas.**


	2. Wining and Dining

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This has had to start off as a filler because the Doctor left Jack in Cardiff during the day, but Kiss Kiss Bang Bang started at dark night, so this can fill the hours between.**

Chapter Two

Lily and Jack were walking hand in hand across the plass and Lily Lily looked up at him with a fond smile

" Where are we going? " she asked him, " are we going to your Torchwood? Am I going to meet your team? Will you show me around? Ooh, Jack show me where you live. "

He laughed at her enthusiasm and squeezed her hand, " I will," he said, " but I was thinking of hanging about for a bit - maybe taking you out for dinner first, and a drink? Wine and dine you? "

" Ooh, you romantic man," she sighed, " you've twisted my arm. "

He shrugged, " Well, you've got to know how to treat a lady. " He checked his watch and nodded, " 2pm. Your dad dropped us off in time to catch a late lunch/early dinner, that was good of him. What do you fancy eating? "

" I don't know," she said, " _you've _lived here long enough, you should know where the decent places are. "

" Fine," he said, " then I'll take you to a very classy restaurant. Not that there are the very best around here, but I'll take you somewhere nice. "

" You could take me to anywhere, so long as you're there," she told him.

He grinned and walked them down them through the town, half listening while Lily babbled on about some place she'd been to some time and what it was like. He was only half listening because he was too busy thinking about how lucky they were to be together again. It didn't matter what she was saying, because that smile and the fact she was there at all was the best.

They ended up at some little Italian restaurant, where Jack pulled Lily's chair out for her before taking his own seat. She smiled at him before scanning the menu. When she'd chosen, she set it down and looked at him.

" Can I ask you something? " she asked after the waiter took their order and left them alone. She leaned in and he did the same, so no-one else could hear, " when we were aboard the Valiant, and I had the gun .... you took it off me. "

" That's not a question," he said quietly.

She sighed and then said, " Why did you take it off me? I know you hate it him as much as I do. You took the gun off me, and then you shot him another twice yourself. Why didn't you just leave it to me? "

He took her hand over the table, and played with her fingers lightly, " You're lots of things, baby, but you're not a killer. "

" He was already dying," Lily pointed out.

" Even so," Jack said, shaking his head, " you weren't going to do it. And that's why I love you - he'd hurt you so much, and even though you had the gun, I knew you wouldn't do it. It's just not you. You're too good to shoot anyone ... but I'm not. So I went and did it. I had to. "

" I know," she said, " but it's not because you're not a good person. You did it because you're so brave and you had the nerve to do it. And you wanted revenge for me, for us. And that's fine. "

She looked down at their hands, and loved the way he played about with her fingers lightly, picking them up in turn, running his fingers over hers and rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

" You know," she said, " you're my hero. You're .... you're just everything I could want. You're my hero. "

He laughed, letting go of her hands and reaching for the bottle of wine, " You'll make me blush," he said, pouring wine into her glass, " although I am pretty amazing. "

She rolled her eyes as he set the bottle of wine down on the table, " Are you trying to get me drunk, Captain? Honestly, and I thought you were a gentleman. "

" I _am _a gentleman," Jack said, sipping his own drink, " just don't tell everyone, or my reputation will be ruined. Imagine everyone thinking of me as a loving boyfriend. "

Lily sighed, " I knew it was too good to be true. I suppose your team all think you're a ruthless, bossy .... boss, do they? " she asked.

He shrugged, " I don't know. "

" Do they know about me? " Lily asked him as the waiter brought out their food. When she was gone, she realised Jack hadn't answered and she looked across at him, " Jack - do your friend know about me? "

" Sort of," he said, looking up at her, " look, the thing you've got to know is, I don't ... I mean ... my team don't know much about my life. They don't know where I'm from - they don't know anything about my past. They know I can die, and they know I stole my name from someone else, but that's all. "

" They ... don't know," she said, looking down at her plate, " I thought you might have mentioned me, or something. "

" No," he said, " they know I've been looking for someone special, and they know your name is Lily, but they don't know how we met, how long ago we met, exactly who you are. Well, Ianto's met you, so at least he knows you're the Doctor's daughter. But there's a lot I haven't told them - it's just how I work. "

She nodded in acceptance - she didn't expect him to have told every little detail, but she was glad they knew about her, even if all they knew was that she was Jac's someone special.

" So, why don't you tell them much? " she asked out of interest, " why don't you talk? "

He just shrugged, " I ... I don't know. I just thought it would be easier if I kept them at arms length. You've got to know, I was never the same without you, and I found it hard to open up with anyone. It was easier to tell them nothing. "

" Ok," she nodded.

There was a pause, during which they ate their food, before Lily looked at him and said with a slight smile, " I'll tell you, though, I'm not keeping myself to myself. So I'm a 200-ish year old alien and I've spent all my life travelling through time and across the universe. Who cares? "

" That's why you're so great," he said, " you're so ... you. There's no-one like you. Imagine how they'll feel when they know you're the Doctor's daughter - the reason Torchwood was set up That'll be a laugh. There really is no-one else like you. "

" I should hope not," she grinned, " and as for this team of yours, if I'm going to see them all every day, they're going to be my friends. Or at least, I hope they are. So I'm not going to hide what I am from them. In fact, I'm going to love telling them all these stories about the different planets and the time travelling. God, and when I tell them some of the things I know about you ... " she laughed and Jack shook his head at her.

" Don't you dare," he said, laughing as he topped her glass up.

They spent the next hour and a half in the restaurant, laughing away as they swopped stories of some of the things they'd done in their time apart, and even a few stories about before they'd met.

When they were done, Jack insisted on taking her to a few bars. She told him she wanted to meet his team and be in a fit state when she met his team, but he insisted on it. They had only one drink, and then they went outsdie onto the street.

It was getting darker outside and Jack offered his arm out. Lily smiled and took it gladly.

" Can't I take you for one more drink? " he asked her with a smirk.

" No," she told him, " do you want me to show up completely hammered? I want to meet your team, though you've left it so late they probably won't be there. "

He shrugged, " There's always tomorrow. They'll all be in in the morning, and you can see them then. Now if you won't let me buy you another drink, let's at least walk around - you see all sorts of things at night - I'm gonna have to show you the local area, or you could end up getting lost. "

She sighed, " Fine then. But I want to see your Torchwood soon. Our home now, right? I want to see everything that's there and just ... be there. "

They walked around for a while as it was getting darker, watching other people walk around, some of them jabbering on in Welsh. Lily tried to take in every inch of the town as they walked around, watching what was happening around them and just so happy she had her Jack.

It had now fallen very dark, and Jack had finally decided it was time to go back to the hub. They were walking when Jack decided to take a short cut through a few streets full of houses.

There was a loud screech of tires and a red convertible followed by a large black car zoomed past them, and around the corner.

" Jesus," Lily said, shaking her head as she looked after it, " how fast do they need to go? "

" That's _my _SUV! " Jack said, staring after it and then taking off down the street after it. Lily sighed and then followed on, running as fast as she could - god, she thought, running already.


	3. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Updates are still going to be quick hopefully, but will be a little slower now I'm back at college**

Chapter Three

Jack and Lily ran down the street as fast as they could, and when Jack spotted the black SUV that belonged to Torchwood, he headed straight towards it, Lily following him.

" What d'you mean, it's yours? " she asked, " you drive that? "

" Yeah," he said, " well, it's Torchwood's, but yeah it's mine. "

They stopped outside the house which the SUV was parked outside, and Jack looked at Lily. He smiled at her, though his smile was strained as he looked from her to the house and back again, " Looks like my team are in there," he said, " and they might need me. We don't know what's in there, so stay behind me, yeah? "

She scoffed, " I'm not a child, Jack. I _can _manage looking after myself. "

" Even so," he said, shaking his head, " you're not used to all of this, so you're sticking behind me, where it's safe. "

She sighed, giving in, and then Jack pulled a gun from his coat. Lily stared at him - she wasn't used to using guns all the time, and she hated the thought that she might have to use one herself at some point.

Jack got his gun ready, and then looked at Lily with a little smile that was supposed to be reassuring, and worked. He started up the drive and quietly walked through the open front door. Lily followed him equally quietly, feeling nervous abut what could be in there, but as always, feeling the rush of excitement from something new.

They walked through a hallway and Jack stopped at the end of it. He stopped and held out a hand behind her to make her stop still. She could hear the voices from inside the next room, someone shouting.

Jack looked around at her and then cocked his gun. " Blowfish," he whispered. She atared at him - she'd seen many things, but she hadn't seen blowfish as aliens before. She edged closer, wanting to know what was going on.

From inside the next room she could hear someone - presumably the blowfish - shouting, " So what about it, minion? Can you do it? How good are you? How sharp is your aim? What if you kill her? What if I kill her first? Can you do it? Would you? Dare you? "

There was a loud bang and Lily jumped.

Jack lowered his gun and stepped into the room, grinning, " Hey kids, did you miss me? "

Lily smiled, ready for meet these new people, and then followed Jack into the room. She looked around and was met by a strange sight.

In the middle of the room was some sort of cross between a man and a blowfish, lying flat on his back, dead. A mother and her child were embracing tightly, and Jack was standing beside Lily putting his gun away.

The other four were just staring at them. There was Ianto, who Lily recognised from their brief meeting before, stood looking at Jack as if he couldn't believe he was there. Then there was a japanese looking woman who Lily thought looked a little familiar, a thin dark haired man with a pale, sort of pointed face, and a dark haired woman with wide dark eyes and a gap in her teeth.

" Jesus, Jack," she said, looking up at him, " I hope you don't use that thing often, because this is the second time in two days. "

" Only when it's necessary, baby," he said, looking at her.

The others were now staring at Lily now, as if they hadn't noticed her before - and she supposed they hadn't, since they were too busy thinking about their leader being back. She smiled at them all, but they still stared at her.

" Baby? " Owen repeated, looking from Jack to Lily and back again, " so you've done a disappearing act and come back with some girlfriend? "

" Not just some girlfriend," corrected Jack, taking Lily's hand in his and holding it tightly, " Lily's .... well, I wouldn't be complete without Lily. I met her a long time ago and we got seperated. Then I spent ages looking for her, and found her again. She's coming to live with me, because that's where she belongs. "

Lily looked around at them all, not really knowing what to say, before her eyes settled on Ianto.

" Ianto Jones," she said, " it's so good to see you again! Isn't it brilliant that you still got to work at Torchwood? "

" All down to you," he said with a nod, while the others looked on in confusion - Ianto had once told them that he'd met the woman Jack sometimes referred to, but he'd not said anything else.

As the others continued to stare, all wanting to ask questions, but none of them able to find their tounges, Lily left Jack's side and went to stand beside the blow fish. She knelt beside it, muttering to herself, before looking over her shoulder at the others.

" I haven't seen much of these before," she said, " do you get many of them around here? "

" Um ... the occasional one," the janapese woman said.

" We should get going back to the hub," the other woman said.

The team started to leave the room and Lily looked at the body before Jack was stood right in front of her. " That could have gone worse," he said.

Lily scoffed, " Jack, you left them, they're going to be mad with you. Somehow I don't even think they're started. " Still, she was pleased they hadn't reacted too badly to her presence, though they'd got to get to know her yet, since she hadn't even been introduced.

Jack simply laid a hand in the small of her back and guided her towards the door. By the time they got to the SUV, the rest of the team were already inside. The man who wasn't Ianto, so had to be Owen, was at the wheel, the dark haired women who had to be Gwen in the passenger seat. Ianto and the japanese woman who must be Tosh were back, where there were loads of computers, and Jack got in the back too.

He offered his hand to Lily, to help her in, but she didn't take it, getting into the back of the vehicle by herself. She didn't want to seem like some pathetic girl who couldn't do anything for herself, in front of the team who she wanted to fit in with.

" Honestly Jack," she said as he slammed the door shut behind her, " after some of the things I've done, you think I can't handle getting into a car? "

" Fair enough," Jack shrugged, sitting down.

Lily also sat down, and noted the smirk the man driving had at the way she'd put Jack in his place.

There was a pause, and Lily could feel that the rest of the Torchwood team were thinking about Jack's return - obviously hurt by him leaving in such a rush, and not telling them he was going. And they must be thinking about having a new face around - Jack's girfriend. It must be a shock to them, she realised, but she hoped they'd get used to it soon enough.

Jack cut across the silence, " So," he said, " I suppose we need some proper introductions. Everyone, this is Lily. Lily, this is Owen Harper. " Lily didn't need introductions sincehe'd told her about his team and she could already work out who was who, but she knew he hated the silence.

He pointed towards the man driving, who looked at her in the mirror, and gave her a nod, " That's _Doctor _Owen Harper," he said.

She gave him a nod in return, " Fine, _Doctor _Harper," she said, " I've got a feeling we'll get on quite well. I've been working with Doctors for about 200 years. "

The others all suddenly stared at her but she gave a little shrug and Jack continued, motioning towards the dark haired welsh woman, " This is Gwen Cooper," he said, before pointing towards the others, " this is Toshiko Sato, and you've already met Ianto Jones. "

Lily's gaze was focused on Toshiko, and she looked at her carefully, before she suddenly managed to place her, " I think I've met you before," she said, catching the other woman's attention, " Doctor Sato. I met you in London, about 2005. Space-pig - I think that was you? "

Toshiko nodded, eyes sparking in recognition, " Yes. I was ... " she smiled, looking at Owen and then back to Lily, " I was covering for Owen - pretending to be a Doctor. "

Lily laughed, " Well, you did a pretty good job for an imposter. "

Tosh blushed a little, " Yeah, I remember you now. You were there with that man - the Doctor. Strangest man I ever met. Hey, isn't he your dad? "

Lily smiled a little, " Yeah. Yeah he is. "

" Doctor? " Gwen asked, looking over her shoulder, " is that Jack's Doctor? "

" _Your _Doctor? " Lily asked Jack with a faint smile.

He shrugged, " I just told them I was looking for a Doctor, to fix me. And a certain beautiful woman, of course. "

" Flattery," she said, rolling her eyes.

They fell into silence again, and Lily didn't want to break it. She thought it was best to play it safe, and not saying anything - she didn't have much to say either. Jack's team were clearly mad at him and no-one had anything to say, Jack sitting in an awkward silence, starting to feel guilty.

When the car stopped, the others all headed for the tourist office, which Jack had told her acted as a front for their underground base. Lily made to follow them, but Jack grabbed her hand, holding her back.

" I want to show you it the special way," he told her, before shouting over to the rest of the team, " hey guys! I'm going to take Lily the scenic route! "

None of them replied and Jack sighed, " Guess they're giving me the silent treatment. "

"They'll get over it," Lily told him as he started walking her towards the water tower, " how could they stay mad at you? "

" Never mind them," Jack said, his arm around her in that protective, almost possessive way that she loved, always making her feel safe. " I want to show you your new home. I have a feeling you're going to love it. "

" Course I'll love it, she told him, " you're there. You know that's all I need. "

He laughed, and stopped on one of the concrete slabs in front of the water tower. He held her close and told her, " Now, you've got to stay on this square, and then ... "

It suddenly started to move and she laughed, grabbing his arm in suprise. The block lowered down slowly and Lily was suprised by it, but delighted.

" Perception filter? " she asked him.

" Yeah," he said, " caused by the TARDIS once landing on this exact spot, but never mind about that. Drop the technical stuff and enjoy the view. "

She relented and looked around with a smile as they lowered dow through the huge underground base. She was breathless at what she saw - the place was huge, with all sorts around them. It seemed to spread on forever, and there were work stations dotted about, with huge computers. She could see a medical bay and a hue area ful of cupboards and storage. There were other rooms that she couldn't quite see, and stairs that led to god knew where.

As there was a big screech and something huge flew past, Lily gasped, " You have a Pterandon? "

He nodded, grinning at the way she loved it so much - all he wanted was for her to like Torchwood so they could be happy together, after all, they'd been messed around enough, and deserved to be happy now. Lily looked at Jack with a bright smile and looked around the whole place in awe as the lift kept moving.

" This is ... wow," she breathed in awe, " I knew it would be amazing, but .... you have an invisible lift and a Pterandon. I am never going to leave this place. "

" That might not be entirely practical," he said, " you're going to have to set out of the door, at some point. "

" Shhh," she said, with a smile, " this is just fantastic - I could look at this all day. "

Jack laughed, and as the lift stopped on the ground, he planted a kiss on her cheek and pulled her into a hug. She smiled, and got on her toes - wishing she was a little taller and had no need to - and kissed his cheek in return.

" Home sweet home," he said, stepping off the lift when they broke their embrace, and waving his arm out in front of her.

" I love it," she said.

Jack grinned at her, and led her forwards, into the area where the team's workstations were. Tosh was sat behind hers looking over her computers, while Gwen paced around, the whole team at work. It became clear that Gwen had been in charge during Jack's absence, and as the team were working, they all ignored Jack for the time being, therefore ignoring Lily too.

Jack stood back, confused by what was going on, and feeling out of it, while Lily watched her love in concern, hoping his team would forgive him soon, because she knew he cared for them deeply.

" Are you sure no more like him came through the rift? " Gwen asked, looking over at Toshiko.

Tosh made a little noise of acknowledgement as she looked at the information in front of her, " Cross-referencing with the rift activity monitor, but it doesn't look like it. "

" The car's been impounded," Ianto told Gwen, " I'll get it back to the owner in the morning. "

Owen, meanwhile was walking over to Tosh and handed Gwen a file on his way, " Bio-profile's onscreen now. Nothing in his genetic make-up likely to contaminate the city. "

" Well," Lily said quietly to Jack, " these lot are quiet impressive. "

" Ianto," Gwen was saying to the young welshman, " could you deal with the body when it's cold? "

" My pleasure," Ianto said before turning beack to her and grimacing, " as long as you don't mean making sushi. "

Lily had to smile a little at that one - looked like these Torchwood lot could be fun. Gwen however barely raised a smile, " No thank you, the morgue will do fine. "

" Got pretty organised without me," Jack noted, Lily watching him carefully.

" Yeah, well we had to," Gwen said, not looking at him, but clearly seething.

" Have you decorated in here? " Jack asked, looking around, trying to make light of it all.

Before Lily knew what was happening, a figure flew past her and Gwen violently shoved Jack backwards. He hit the doorframe, where he stood looking at his team, not quite meeting their eyes. Lily knew the team were angry and she thought she was better off staying out of the way, so she allowed his team to talk to him - they needed to let it all out.

" You left us, Jack! " Gwen shouted, making Lily wonder why she was so bothered - sure, Jack was the leader, but she wondered if they shared a deeper connection. She made a mental note to find out more about each of the team.

" I know," Jack sighed, " and I'm sorry. Really, I am. "

" We knew nothing, Jack! "

" Where were you? " Tosh asked, calmer than Gwen but sounding annoyed nonetheless.

Jack's eyes slid to Lily and then he looked around at each of his team in turn," It's hard to explain, but I've spent years looking for Lily, and for the Doctor. I saw them outside and I had to get there before they went away. So yeah, that's where I was. I found the other half of my soul over there " Lily smiled at that, Jack added, " and I also found my doctor. "

Lily wondered if Jack would ever open up and tell them about Saxon/The Master and the year that didn't really happen.

" And did he fix you? " Owen asked, raising his eyebrows.

" What's to fix? " Jack shrugged in an offhand manner, " you don't mess with this level of perfection. " Lily had to smirk at that one.

" Are you staying now? " Ianto asked, frowning.

Jack nodded, looking around at everyone, " I came back for you," he said, " all of you. "

There was an awkward pause, before one of the computers beeped and Toshiko turned around to look at it, shouting " Rift activity! "

The rest of the team got back to work, leaving Jack and Lily standing there with nothing to do. Lily watched them work with a faint smile - she couldn't wait to be a part of it. Jack, meanwhile, watched them with a frown, worried about them accepting him again.

" Jack," she said lightly, laying her hand on his arm lightly, " it's gonna be alright you know. "

" I know," he muttered.

" No," she said, " I mean it, they'll forgive you. And in the meantime, you've got me. And I love you. "

He smiled - it was always nice to hear and he loved it every time she said it. He turned to her with that spark in his eyes that she adored, " But I love you more," he said.

" Oh, no you don't," she said, sticking her tounge out at him.

He shook his head at her, " We're not having this argument," he told her with a grin," I love you more. End of. "

She pouted and poked his arm, " But - "

" No," he said

" But - "

" No," he grinned, shaking his head.

" Jack! " she pouted, " I - "

He moved in and cut her off with a kiss to the lips - something he often found was a way of making her shut up. She giggled when he moved away and put her hand to the back of his head, kissing him again.

Tosh was sitting at her workstation again, Gwen at her side as they looked at the monitor.

" You know," Tosh said, glancing over at Jack and Lily with a smile, " they're actually sort of cute, aren't they? "

Gwen shrugged, " I suppose," she agreed, " although I wouldn't have had Jack down as the settling down type. I hope she knows what she's getting into. "

" I think she does," Tosh nodded, glancing at the couple again, " I mean, just look at them - don't you get the feeling they're really close, like they know all sorts about each other. Like they go way back. "

Gwen paused, thoughtful, " Hmm. She said she was that Doctor's daughter. And something about 200 years, but that had to be made up, didn't it? I think we're going to have to find out more about her. "

" Definitley," Tosh agreed, " and maybe if we get her to know her, she'll be able to tell us more about Jack. "

" We need to go," Ianto said, approaching them, " reports of a murder in the area that the main rift activity seems to be coming from. Crime Scene Officers have been on the phone - I told them we'd be there. "

" Are we going? " Lily asked Jack, as the others got ready to leave.

He nodded, " Yeah. I want to know what's going on, and I'm not leaving you on your own. You've been through so much with _the Master_ and the whole stupid year. I'm looking after you. I wanted to show you around, show you the bedroom and everything, but we should go. C'mon, you can experience Torchwood at work. "

" Jack, what are you doing? " Ianto asked, hovering in the doorway as the other three had already left.

" Yeah, we're coming," Jack said, automatically taking Lily's hand as he made towards a different entrance. Lily was amazed as they walked past other things, and when they walked down long corridors and through the fake tourist office, she was fascinated at how intricate the design was, and how perfectly hidden.

" Hey Jack? " she asked, as they walked towards the SUV. He looked at her in questioning, and she continued, " you said "we." You said "we're coming." "

Jack looked a little confused, " Yeah ... and we are. "

" It's just .... we. " She smiled, " I like how that works. Is that us from now on? We're a .... we. "

" Definitley," he said, " fortunately for me, you've got a very long life ahead of you, so you and me are going to be a "we" for centuries .... you'll be sick of me, by the end of it. "

" Never. "

They were at the SUV and Lily got into the back before Jack did, Jack once again slamming the doors after them. The ride was a short one, and when they stopped, they were outside large garages by a sidewalk.

Lily stepped out and stuffed her hands in her pockets as they walked towards it - there were lots of people around, most of them crime scene officers, the whole area taped up.

Tosh was looking down at a hand-held scanner in her hand, and Lily was intruiged by the way they worked - she wasn't used to police and this was all so official.

They passed under the police tape and there was a young man lying flat on his back, dead.

Lily grimaced at the sight of it, but didn't turn away. Tosh was kneeling near the body and announced, " Fragments of rift energy around the neck, arms and shoulders. "

Lily knelt down beside the body and pulled her laser spanner from her pocket, scanning the body for any odd signs, " Residual energy cluster," she said, looking back at the others, straightening up and looking at the tall building above them, " he was grabbed and pushed. "

Tosh looked at the laser spanner, ad the others exachanged looks, realising this newcomer new her stuff. " What is that thing? " Tosh asked.

Lily stowed it away in her pocket, " Laser spanner. Opens and locks stuff. Cuts through wires, scans stuff ... you name it. "

" That's .... that's advanced technology," Tosh said, " mind if I take a look at it sometime? "

Lily shrugged, " Sure, when you've got the time. I'm telling you though, it's technology out of this world. "

Owen cut across them, looking around, annoyed, " So there's a potential killer on the loose - bi-pedal, maybe humanoid. "

" Any other alien technology involved? " Gwen asked.

Tosh shook her head, " No reading to suggest that. "

" Okay," Jack said with a nod, " let's get back and see what we can piece together. "

" Taking charge again, are you? " Gwen asked, almost spitting in anger.

" I was hoping for a little power struggle," he shrugged, " resolved my some naked wrestling. "

Lily rolled her eyes at him and elbowed him as they all started walking back towards the SUV, " Naked wrestling? " she asked him with raised eyebrows, " you intend to be doing a lot of that, do you? "

He wore a smirk and a grin but it slid from his face when he looked at Lily and saw the expression on her face, " Of course not," he said.

" Better not be," she told him, " 'cause if you're going to be playing naked wrestling with Gwen, then I might as well get attention from somewhere else .... " she paused, and then pointed a finger in front of her, " do you think Owen'd be up for it? Or Ianto? "

Jack grabbed her hand tightly, " Don't you dare," he said seriously.

She smiled, " I like it when you get all jealous. It's sort of ... it's nice. So long as you don't start tracking where I am all the time. "

He grinned, " I could do, if I felt like it. Not that I would. "

They stopped at the SUV, which the others were standing in front of, waiting for Jack to unlock it. Jack unlocked it and reached for the door. As he did so, there was a faint beep, and Lily saw Jack look down at his vortex manipulator and press a button.

" Woah, that thing never beeps," Ianto pointed out.

Lily frowned, looking down at it, " Didn't my dad stop that thing from working? "

Jack shrugged as he looked at her, " Yeah, stopped the time travel on it, but not the other functions. " Then he looked up at Ianto, " and yeah, it never beeps. "

They all gathered around him, and Jack pressed the button on it to reveal a lifesize image of a man. He was quite tall, wearing a red jacket and dark trousers with boots, short dark hair.

The image started talking to them with an American drawl, " I can't believe I got the answering machine. What can you be doing that's more important than me? "

Lily was watching Jack carefully, and Jack looked completely shocked.

The man in the image continued, " Anyway, you've probably traced the energy shift, and found the body. All me, sorry about the mess - bill me for the clean up. Now ... drinks! Retrolock the transmission coordinates, that's where I am. And hurry up, work to do! "

The image vanished and Jack looked at them all and spoke with a very serious voice, " Stay here. Don't come after me. "

" Who was that? " Gwen asked.

" Stay here," Jack repeated, going to open the SUV door.

Lily had no idea who the man was - Jack had told her several stories about the time agency and people he'd met, but obiously there was no-one she would have known on sight. She grabbed Jack's arm, trying to stop him getting in the car.

" Don't," she said, " you can't just _go _running off and leave us here! I don't know what the hell I'm doing, I'm with four strangers, in a city I don't know my way around, and you want to ditch me, without a clue as to where you're going and when you're coming back?

Jack turned to face her and shook his head, " I won't be long, and you'll be fine with these lot. "

" That's not the point! " she said, " you're just running away and shutting me - all of us - out! "

" I'm sorry," he said, " and I wouldn't do it to you, but I need to deal with it. Don't worry about it. I won't be long. "

He leaned down and planted a quick kiss on her lips, trying to pacify her, before getting into the car and driving away. Lily groaned and stamped her foot on the ground.

" Jack! " Gwen shouted after the speeding car.

" Wait! " yelled Owen.

" Jack! " Tosh cried.

As they watched it screech around the corner, they were all left stood there, annoyed. Lily shook her head in frustration, " God! " she snapped, " I could just kill him. How can he bugger off and leave us standing here? "

" I know! " Owen said, very annoyed, " he swans back in and then he shuts us right out! " He looked at Lily and added, " I'm glad it's not just us he shuts out! "

Lily shook her head, folding her arms over her chest, " We're not staying here. We're going after him, right? "

Gwen nodded, " Yeah, I'm not having this. "

" I can track him," Tosh said, holding up her scanner.

There was a very loud, piercing whistle and everyone turned to look in the direction to see Ianto standing there, fingers in his mouth. " Taxi! " he yelled, throwing one arm out.

" So, how long have you known Jack? " asked Gwen curiously as Tosh worked on her scanner and Ianto desperately tried to flag down a taxi. Still, they, like Owen, were listening with curiosity to hear what Lily would say - they wanted to know more about Jack, and they also wanted to know a lot more about Lily.

They were pleased when she was happy enough to answer them, " It's a bit difficult to explain," she said, " I guess it'd be about four or five months, then we got seperated for a long time - this is where it gets tricky - it was a lot longer for him than it was for me. Then we found each other when he left you lot, and it's been a year since then. "

" A year? " Owen echoed, looking at her as if she were mad, " it's been a couple of months ... hardly a year! "

Lily shrugged, " I said it was complicated. I'll explain properly some other time. Basically, time's always relative - it's in flux - changing all the time. So it's been a couple of months for you, but it's been a year for us. "

Owen just stared at her, " Where the hell are you from? " he asked, " with all your time talk, and your flash talk and technology. "

A taxi pulled up, and Lily looked at Owen and then everyone else, " Look - it's unbelieveable, really, and it needs explaining properly. And I will. I'll explain anything you want to know - well, within reason - when we're not ... doing whatever we're doing here. "

" Can't say fairer than that," Gwen said as they got into the taxi. Tosh got into the front, alongside the driver, while Ianto, Gwen, Owen and Lily squeezed into the back, four people where three should sit, but none of them caring, since they were so determined to find Jack and not be left in the dark

" Reports coming in of a bar disturbance," Tosh told them as she looked over her shoulder at everyone, and then back at her scanner, " same co-ordinates as the SUV. "

" Tell the police we're dealing with it," Gwen told her.

" He better not be fighting," Lily sighed, " ditching us to go off and fight in some bar. "

" Okay," Owen said, " so who the hell was the bloke in the hologram? Lily, any ideas? You know Jack better than we do. "

Lily had no idea, and it frustrated her so much that she and Jack wanted to build a life together, here on Earth, but he was swanning off to do other things, and keeping them in the dark. She supposed Jack wouldn't do it if it wasn't important, but it still bothered her.

" Yeah, I know Jack," she said, " but I don't know everything about him. Maybe between us, we should know enough about him. "

" Looked like Jack recognised him," Ianto said.

" Why didn't he let us go with him? " Tosh sighed.

Lily shrugged, " He wouldn't have done it, if it wasn't something important. "

" No, it's just typical Jack, isn't it? " Gwen groaned, " Disappeares, comes back, runs away again. Shuts us out. We don't even know his real name. "

" Or what time he comes from," Tosh added.

" Exactly! " pointed out Gwen, " he's supposed to be our boss, yet we know nothing about him! It drives me crazy! "

Lily smirked a little at how annoyed they were and then said," I don't actually know his real name ... we've never got around to it ... but I know he comes from the 51st century. Stick with me, I'll tell you loads you don't know. "

The others all exchanged looks at the way she so casually told them Jack was from the 51st century, and they were all quite excited by this piece of information - being from there seemed so completely mad.

" Still drives me crazy," Gwen said, " why can't he just be more open? "

They all lapsed into silence before Ianto pointed out, " It _is _more fun when he's around, though. "

" Yeah," Owen agreed.

" Oh, definitley! " Tosh added.

" Yeah, it is," Gwen nodded.

The taxi ride was short, since Tosh's scanner was very efficent, and they managed to track the co-ordinates down to a bar. Ianto payed for the taxi and then they were all standing on the pavement in front of the bar.

Tosh looked down at her scanner, " Two people inside - assuming one's Jack and the other's the man from the hologram, they're alone, which means .... "

" Which means anything could be happening," Lily finished, hoping Jack was alright.

" Jack might need back up," said Gwen, " so here's what we're going to do. Ianto, you and I will take the front entrance, Tosh and Owen take the back. Um ... Lily, was it? ... I don't know how used to taking orders and doing this sort of work you are but - "

" It's fine," Lily said quickly, " I've spent years running around with aliens. "

Gwen couldn't help wonder where she'd been working, but she supposed that anyone who Jack chose for a girlfriend would be anything but normal. " Fine," she said, " you come with me and Ianto, but there's no gun for you. "

" I think I'll manage without a gun," Lily shrugged - she'd been brought up with strong moral values by her dad, and she had every intention of sticking to them - no killing or shooting unless there was no other way around it.

Gwen checked that everyone was ready to go, and then Lily, along with she and Ianto, went through the front doors of the place. Lily crept with caution. Gwen was charging on in front, Ianto following, and Lily kept behind Ianto, having no weapon, and not knowing what to expect.

When they stopped at the door to the bar, where they knew Jack and the other man was, Gwen looked back at Lily and Ianto and then burst through the door, moving forwards.

Lily followed and as she edged into the room, she saw Jack standing at the bar with the man from the hologram. There was broken glass scattered around and floor, as if they'd had a fight or something.

" Everything alright Jack? " Gwen asked.

Jack held his hands up, " Okay. It's okay. "

Owen and Tosh came from the other side, and the man who Jack was with, laughed. He seemed smarmy and full of himself as he laughed, " You've got a team! Oh, how sweet! What pretty little friends! No blonde though, you need a blonde. "

They all continued to inch forwards, and Owen grimaced in disgust, " Oh God, he's worse than Jack! "

Lily shook her head, as she looked at Jack, " Aren't you going to explain what's going on? You just left us, Jack! "

Jack sighed and looked at her, trying to give her that smile that made her melt, " I'm sorry baby, but I had to deal with this. I didn't want to expose you to _this _guy. "

" Oh, now that's not fair," the man said, with a mock pout. He took a step forward, looking at Lily and then back at Jack, " this one's pretty," he said, " you called her baby - you're with her? "

Jack didn't reply, not wanting the other man to know that, because then he'd probably take more of an interest in her.

" Yeah," Lily said quietly.

The man grinned at Jack and then turned to Lily, taking a step towards her, " Oh, you are a pretty one," he said, " I can see why he likes you. Quite why _you _like _him _is a different matter - wouldn't you care to be with someone ... else? "

" I don't think so," Lily said, shaking her head.

The man took a step closer to Lily only for Jack to grab his arm and yank him backwards, until his back hit the bar hard, making him groan. " You stay away from her," Jack said, seething, " I've had just about enough of seeing people hurt her, and I won't have _anyone _hurt her. "

Jack had had a hard time of it during the Year That Never Was, being made to watch Lily being abused, completely unable to help her, and he was determined that she'd never be made to feel like that again - that scared. He was determined to look after her.

" Fine, fine," the man said, holding his hands up, " god, you're so possessive. "

The others all exchanged looks at the way Jack was so protective and clearly cared for Lily so much - it was something they'd never seen about him. They all knew that if Jack cared for her like that, it must be serious.

" So," the man said, " do you have a team name? I love team names - go on! "

" Torchwood," Jack said through gritted teeth.

" Oh," the man said, a little disappointed, " Not Excalibur? Blizzard? Bikini cops? No? Torchwood ... no dear. "

Jack sighed, " Lily, Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, meet ... "

" Captain John Hart," the man said, with a self-satisfying smirk.

" We go back," Jack said explaining their connection.

" Excuse me," scoffed John Hart, " we more than go back. We were partners. "

Lily frowned, feeling confused at this. She thought she could vauguely remember the name from one of Jack's stories about his adventures at the Time Agency, but she didn't recall them being partners ... she knew Jack had had many men and women before her, but she'd not met any of them before, and she didn't care to. Jack had been quite the flirt before they'd gotten together - and still was, even if he just stuck to her - and she didn't care to meet them all.

" In what way? " she asked, when she'd managed to find her voice.

" In every way," John smirked, making Lily pull a face - not what she wanted to hear. Jack was hers, " and then some. " He seemed to be gloating.

" It was two weeks," Jack said coldly, clearly not impressed with this John Hart anyore, if he had been whenever they were a couple

" Yeah," John said, rolling his eyes, " except that two weeks was stuck on a time loop, so we were together five years. It was like having a wife. "

Lily frowned at this man was so arrogant and smarmy, having been with her boyfriend for five years, when she could only see him as hers. Jack glared at John and told him, " You were the wife. "

" _You _were the wife. "

" No, you were the wife," Jack said firmly.

" Oh, but I was a good wife," John shrugged.

" I bet you were," Toshiko said. When the others turned to look at her, she shrugged, " What? Don't pretend you haven't noticed - he's cute. "

Lily silently disagreed. The man annoyed her already, and he wasn't cute - not when there was Jack standing right next to him.

" What are you doing here? " Jack demanded of John, who pulled back his sleeve. He revealed a vortex manipulator just like Jack's, and he pressed a few buttons on it.

" That's the same as yours," Tosh said.

" His is smaller," Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest with an annoyed look on his face, which caused Lily to smile a little.

John rolled his eyes, " But mine lasts much longer. God, get two Time Agents together in the same room, and it's always about the size of the wrist strap. "

" What's a Time Agent? " Owen asked quickly.

" What, he's never told you about his past? " John asked, suprised.

" No, he hasn't ," said Gwen, annoyed.

John noticed the tense atmosphere and said, " Anyway ... I'm working with this woman - beautiful, sexy, clever, yadda, yadda, yadda - and we both get shot. And as she's dying, she begs me. She tells me about these radiation clusters she's been working on. "

" I don't like the sound of that," Owen muttered.

" Three canisters, " said John, "contents beyond toxic, swallowed up in the riftstorm. "

" And ended up here," Tosh finished.

" Bingo," John said, " That's the downside of your city being built on a rift in time and space. Now, left to their own devices, the radiation'll break down the canisters and then infect your people and your planet. They need to be neutralised. "

" What do you get out of this? " Jack demanded.

" Dying woman's wish," John said, though Lily could tell Jack didn't believe him, " now there's only one problem - I don't know where they are. I was hoping local knowledge might help. "

Tosh nodded, " When we get back to the hub, I can run a citywide scan on radiation surges and cross-reference that with the rift activity during the time span. "

" What are you? " asked John with a smirk, " the brains and the beauty? You see, together, it's an easy job. "

" We do this," Jack said, voice low and dangerous, " you get out of here when it's finished. Right away. "

" Does this mean I get to see your house? " John asked, teasing.

Jack didn't reply, not smiling. He turned and walked towards the door, and the others didn't move, but Lily was the first to follow. The others followed after her, John trying to chat Tosh up as they made their way back to the car.

" So he's your ex? " Lily asked, looking up at Jack.

Jack sighed, taking her hand, needing to comfort himself, " Yeah," he said, " I guess. Not that it matters, though. He's not important, right? He's going soon. "

Lily didn't know what to say, and she just shrugged, " Still ... can't believe you went out with him. "

Jack grinned down at her, " Yeah well, I didn't always have the impeccable taste in partners that I do now," he told her, as they crossed into the street.

She shook her head, " Still ... you're so .... " she smiled, " incredibly handsome, brave, clever, caring ... and he's ... not. "

Jack laughed, amazed at how she could always made him feel better. He brought her hand up and kissed the back of it lightly, making her smile, until a voice from behind them called, " Ooh, why did I never get that treatment? "

" Shut it," Jack said, glaring at John as they all stopped by the SUV.

John sighed, " You were never such a romantic with me ... then one pretty girl comes along, and - "

" I said, shut it! " Jack said, opening the door and shoving John into the back, " Owen, you're driving - I'll get in the back and keep an eye on this one. " As he shoved Jack into the very back of the SUV, and got in with him, Tosh and Ianto got in behind the driver and passenger seat.

Gwen got in alongside Tosh, since Tosh was showing her something on the scanner, and Owen glanced at Lily, " Looks like you're in the front with me, new girl. "

Lily shrugged, calling to him as she went around to the passenger side, " I think I'll manage. "

Once they were all in the car, Owen took off down and the street, and Lily stared at him as she reached for her seatbelt, " Do you always drive like this? " she asked him, " have you got a death wish or something? "

He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road, " What can I say? "

Lily didn't say anything and she folded her arms over her chest, staring out of the front window, oblivious to the conversation going on behind her, not really paying attention.

" Hey," Owen said, catching her attention, " are you going to tell me where you're from then? I know you said you'd tell us but ... I'm curious. You say you've spent years running around with aliens, and you've got this laser spanner thing, and you talk about time being in flux or whatever. Where are you from? You've worked at somewhere like Torchwood before? UNIT or something? "

" Jesus," Lily said, rolling her eyes," you humans aren't half nosy, are you? "

Owen frowned, turning to face her, " You say that as if you're .... _not_. "

She also looked at him and then shrugged, keeping quiet. She said nothing, and turned her eyes back to the road. She felt his gaze on her for a few more moments, before he sighed and turned away, as if he was trying to figure her out, but knew she wasn't going to give anything away right now.

She smirked a little, but kept quiet for the rest of the journey, occasionally glancing at Owen and noticing his frown, as he tried to work her out.

When the SUV pulled up and they all piled out, Jack grabbed the back of John's jacket, " I'm taking this one through the other entrance," he said.

Gwen nodded, " Alright, we'll meet you at the bottom. What's ... um .... what's Lily doing? "

Jack looked at Lily and then at Gwen and the rest of the team, " Lily's one of you lot now. She's part of this team so she can go where the rest of you go. " He added to Lily, " I'm sorry to throw you in at the deep end but ... I can't leave this one on his own. "

Lily gave him a half-hearted smile and then he turned away towards the same entrance he'd taken Lily down on - the perception filter in front of the water tower. Lily sighed as she watched him walk away, wishing they could just have got back and then had time to relax, rather than some ex of his showing up.

" You coming?" Ianto called from behind her.

She turned around and nodded, " Yeah," she said, moving towards the others. She followed them towards a little tourist office on the waterfront, and into the small wooden shack. She smiled.

There were brochures neatly stacked up and posters around, even if it was just a fake tourist office. There was a desk against the back wall scattered with papers and notes. Ianto crossed the room and when he got to the desk, he pressed a few buttons under it, and the back wall started to open.

It revealed a long silver corridor, and Lily stared down it, before rushing forwards in a hurry.

She stopped when she got into the corridor and laughed, her voice echoing down it, " Wow" she said, " it's no invisible lift, but it's brilliant. So well hidden, too. " She tapped on the walls and then laughed again, taking off down the corridor, a spring in her step.

The others all exchanged a little look.

" She's mental," Owen muttered.

" I don't know," shrugged Ianto, " I think she's alright. "

Tosh nodded, " Might be nice to have someone around. "

At that point they were distracted by Lily turning around and calling, " Hey - I can't get into this place by myself. There's a code on this door. " She held up the laser spanner, " this thing can't get through certain deadlocks. "

Ianto quickened his pace down the corridor and Owen, Gwen and Toshiko followed. Once the door was open, Lily grinned, stepping through it, and staring around. She'd already seen Torchwood from coming down the lift, but it was still an amazing sight, and all she could do was grin at it.

" This place is brilliant, you know that? " she said, looking around the others as she walked forwards, head turning this way and that, " I mean, I've seen all sort of brilliant stuff - you should see mine and dad's home - but ... wow. "

Tosh walked forwards, towards the descending block, and Ianto followed. Lily decided to follow too, and so did the others. They all stood near where the block would end up when it was finished.

When it stopped moving , John sighed, " It's roomy, I'll give you that. Your taste in interior design hasn't gotten any better though. What is this, sewer chic? "

Jack stepped off the block but held out a hand to stop John getting off. " Weapons," he demanded.

Lily was slightly suprised when the man handed over two guns, held them up to show Jack, and placed them on a tray Ianto had holding. Then he put down a sword with them.

" And the rest," Jack said.

" You know me, Jack, I'm a two-weapon man," John shrugged.

Tosh shook her head, reading the scanner in her hand, " One pistol strapped to each leg, laser knife beneath left elbow and 17 small explosives in the lining of the coat. "

John frowned at being caught out and handed them all over, " Must have slipped my mind. "

Jack glared at him and pointed towards a room off the man hall, " You go in there," he said, " and stay out of the way until we need you. Tosh, you can run some scans and see what's going on ... find some locations for these canisters. Ianto, get rid of these weapons - put them somewhere he can't get them back. "

" Jack," Gwen said, shaking her head at him," do you really think - "

" Gwen, we're doing this," Jack said as John slammed the conference room door behind him, " maybe he'll leave us alone after this. "

" But - "

" Oh, you want to argue about this? " Jack asked her, as he started walking down the corridor, and Gwen followed. Their voices were raised as they walked away, and Lily rolled her eyes at them, wondering what they could be arguing about - surely they could just do this and then it would be done.

Tosh went to her computers, and Ianto went off to stash the weapons, leaving Lily standing there she was. She turned around to see what Tosh and Owen were at the computers, and she went to join them.

" Any interesting findings yet? " Lily asked, coming to stand behind Tosh.

Tosh shook her head, " Not just yet .. I'm checking the backlog for surges in rift activity - there should be something here ... somewhere. "

" Do you know much about the rift? " Owen asked, trying to draw more information out of her.

" A little," she shrugged, " Dad and I have been refueling from it for years. We had a bit of bother with it in 1869, but this psychic girl sorted out it, and then there was the Slitheen the other year, but that got sorted too. Other than that .... no. "

" A-ha! " Tosh said, stopping Owen from questioning Lily any further, " there we are! " she said, clicking a few buttons on the screen, " zooming in, localising ... yes. "

There were loud voices again as footsteps approached and Gwen and Jack reappared. They stopped talking when they were in the man hub, and Tosh spun around on her chair to face Jack, " I've done it," she said.

Jack nodded in appreciation and then called to everyone, " Conference room! "

Ianto, who had been approaching the workstations again, heard this, and soon they were all sitting around a table in the conference room. Lily looked around the room as they all sat at the table and smiled - it was all so organised and perfect.

She was sitting between Tosh and Ianto, opposite Owen.

Tosh leant across the table as she said," Seven hours ago, we logged a minor surge in rift energy, across three locations. Three locations, three canisters. "

John Hart nodded, " Three locations, seven of us. That's simple. Two people per canister and three for the third. "

" Excuse me," Jack said coldly, " I give the orders. "

" Then give some, big boy! " John smirked, throwing a wink at Lily, who smirked too until Jack extended his glare to her, and she looked down at the table sheepishly.

" John's right," Gwen said, cutting across the silence, " sorry, um, do you prefer John or Captain? "

" With eyes like yours, call me Vera, I won't complain," he drawled, causing the others to roll their eyes.

Gwen ignored him and continued, " Tosh and Owen take the North. Ianto and Jack go West. Me and Vera'll take the docks. Then Lily - "

" With me," Jack said firmly, " and as your for you and him ... I think I need a word, Gwen. "

" Going to give her all the dos and don'ts? " John laughed, " I love this bit. "

" Everybody out," Jack ordered.

There was a scraping of chairs and Owen, Tosh, Ianto and Lily left the conference room. Once they were back in the main hall, Ianto, Tosh and Owen started picking up their guns and loading them.

" You carry guns everywhere? " Lily asked, a little shocked, since she hated the thought of using them frequently, " surely shooting everything isn't the answer? "

" Unfortunately it's a nesscesity sometimes," Ianto told her, " you don't know what you're going to come across, and you'd be amazed at the amount of times you can come across something you need a weapon against. " He turned away and grappled around in a secure cabinet, before pulling out a gun and offering it to her.

She stared at it and shook her head.

" You don't know how to use it? " Owen asked her.

Again she shook her head, " No, I can use the gun, but I don't ... I mean, I know how, but I don't think I could go around shooting everything. "

" It's just a precaution," Ianto told her, setting it down on the table, " but I can't make you take it, if you don't want it. "

There were footsteps from behind them, and Gwen and John swept past then, heading towards the entrance of the hub. Owen nodded at Tosh and the pair of them left, leaving Ianto and Lily looking at each other. A moment later a door slammed and Jack appeared out of the conference room. He strolled towards them, pulling on his jacket, and stopped in front of them.

He noticed the gun on the table and looked at Ianto with a smirk, " Let me guess - you offered her a gun for protection, and she won't take it? " He sighed and picked the gun up, offering it out to Lily, " just take it, will you? I'm not saying you have to use it, but I'd feel much better about it, if you took the thing. "

" But - "

" No," he said firmly, " look, I know we agreed that I wouldn't constantly pull rank on you, but you don't understand what it's like sometimes. As much as I'd like to keep an eye on you every second of every day, I have a whole team to look after. And I'd be able to do that much better if I knew you were safe. "

She took it from him and stuffed it in her pocket, " Fine then. "

" That's my girl," Jack grinned, kissing her cheek and then taking her hand tightly. She smiled a little - even when they were deep in doing something to save the city from blowing up, he managed his little gestures of affection.

Ianto cleared his throat as they all headed for the door, " Tosh gave me the co-ordinates of our locations - it's an office block west of here, not long if we take the SUV. "

It took them about 15 minutes to get there, driving across the city at a fast pace, determined to get there quickly. Once they were there, they got into a lift and made their way up to the top floor, since Ianto was sure that's where they needed to be.

When they opened the office doors, Jack grinned, letting go of Lily's hand as the three of them started to look around the room, " Oh yeah! " Jack exclaimed, " loving that office-y feel. I always get excited in this place. To me, they're exotic. Workplace romances, photocopying your butt - well, not your butt, although while we're here, why don't we ... "

Ianto interrupted him, " The rift was active at these co-ordinates approximately 200 feet about the ground, which means this floor or the roof. "

Lily shrugged and started searching around, and as she worked, she heard Jack asked, " How are you, Ianto? "

" All the better for having you back, sir," Ianto replied curtly.

" Could we maybe drop the sir now? " Jack asked.

Ianto simply nodded, and Lily watched him - when she'd been to the parallel universe, the parallel Jack had been married to parallel Ianto. She knew she should have no reason to worry, since Jack loved _her _but it couldn't hurt to keep an eye on them - after all, she'd been seperated from Jack for years of his life. He could have been up to anything.

" Looks like we're going to have to search every draw, bin and plant pot," Jack announced.

" Right," Ianto said," I'll do this floor - don't want you getting overexcited. You take the roof - you're good on roofs. "

" And I'll stay here," Lily said, " it's cold out there, and I don't want to be playing spiderman on the roofs. "

Jack grinned at her, but said nothing, before turning to leave.

" Hey," Ianto called after him," why are we helping him? "

Jack looked over his shoulder," Because he's a reminder of my past, and I want him gone. "

" Okay," Lily said, when they were left alone, pulling her laser spanner from one pocket and bringing it to eye level," how about you search this place and I'll take a scan with this thing - might be able to track it down. "

They got to work frantically, working in silence, dead set on finding their cannister. As Lily was twisting part of the spanner around, the elevator dinged. She lowered the spanner and looked at Ianto, who looked back at her with a frown.

He paused a moment, before pulling out his gun and nodding at her, " C'mon," he said, " move in. "

Lily stowed away her spanner, feeling reluctant to use a gun, but knowing it was for their own safety, and knowing she'd get used to it after a while. She took the gun out of one of the many pockets in her trenchcoat, and after exchanging a nod with Ianto, they cautiously headed into the hallway.

They stopped by the elevators, and found the doors of the first one closed. With a deep breath, Lily reached for the second elevator, but when it opened, it was empty. She frowned but then gasped when something touched the back of her head, and she realised it was the muzzle of a gun.

One sideways glance at Ianto and the tense look on his face told her he was in the same situation. He tried to give her a reassuring look - he remembered how she'd spoke to him at the Battle of Canary Wharf, and she'd seemed so nice.

He was still the only one of the team - other than Jack, of course - to know anything about her. He knew she was the Doctor's Daughter, and he knew from the archives before that that the Doctor and his daughter were time travellers who'd saved the world many times from alien threats.

" Into the lift eye candy," a cold voice said - John's drawl, " you too, little girl. "

Ianto put his hands up and Lily did the same at once, allowing John to take the gun from her, since he had a gun to her head, and she was too scared to do anything else. They were pushed into the lift, and when they turned around to face John he told them, " Your friends are bleeding and dying. You barely have time enough to save them. "

Ianto touched his ear piece and spoke into his comms, " Gwen? Owen? "

John scoffed, " What am I, a child? It's a primitive bit of technology, easily blocked - you should be embarrassed. And when you get to the bottom, you can both run. You look like a man who enjoys a challenge, eye candy, so save them. And you, " he added, looking at Lily," if you want to see your _Jack _again, you'll do as I say. Somehow I don't think he'd be happy if I had to shoot you, so I'm letting you out of here, safe. "

He smirked at then and put their guns on the floor, pushing them into the elevator, giving them back.

" Why are you doing this? " Lily demanded as he pressed the elevator button and the doors started to close

John shook his head, " Come back up here and I'll shoot on sight. So run! "

He smiled at them and the doors closed.

Lily groaned in frustration, " Great? What do we do now? "

" We've got to get to them," Ianto said, " I could track the signals from their phones or the comms - they were all heading for the shipping containers, I think. "

Lily nodded and they lapsed into silence for a moment, until she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, " What about Jack? " she asked, " I know he can handle himself, but ... I want to know he's alright. "

" Jack's always alright," Ianto said, " we need to focus on the others. Jack will be fine - he can't even die - did you know that? "

She nodded, " Yeah, yeah I did. I knew Jack before he couldn't die .... long time ago. Odd story really. He ... I probably shouldn't tell you much, but I don't think he'll mind so long as I don't tell you the really personal stuff .... he got killed by this alien thing - a Dalek - and I thought he was dead. We left - I thought he was dead - and then ages later, I found out he couldn't die. Special time vortex thing brought him back to life. " She shook her head with a smile, " I was thrilled and then when I met him again last year .... one of the best days of my life. "

Ianto also sighed, glad that Lily's talking was taking his mind off the seriousness of the situation and leaving them time to calm down.

" So, have I got this right? " asked Ianto, " from what I've seen in old records, you're the Doctor's daughter. You're time and space travellers from a different planet, and you regularly go around saving people and planets from death? "

" That's about it," she said, as the elevator reached the ground and they quickly stepped out.

" So where does Jack come into it? " Ianto asked as they jogged to the SUV quickly.

" I'll tell you later," Lily vowed as they got into the SUV, " it looks like I'm going to save to sit down and tell you all some stuff - when Jack's not around though. He doesn't seem to want you lot to know everything about his life, but I don't see why I can't tell you things. "

Ianto screeched off down the road and then all conversation was over, and the chase had started.

They got to the warehouse where the others had gotten to, and Ianto had given Lily his mobile and asked her to ring Gwen, since they needed to know she was safe - she would have been with John, and John had left her.

They couldn't get through to her and by the time they pulled up at the building, they were both panicked about finding the others. Ianto was concerned for his friends, and Lily wanted to prove herself to the team, and prove that she could be helpful - she hoped these people would be her friends, and she wanted to help them.

Ianto and Lily reached the doors of the building and Ianto hissed when he realised they were locked. He looked around for something to batter the door open with but Lily shook her head at him and held up her laser spanner.

She put it to the door and it swung open after a second. Ianto looked at her with a nod, " Nice work. "

The pair of them walked into the warehouse quickly and looked around the place - it was large and vast, with containers everywhere. They moved around the containers and looked this way and that.

" Tosh! " Ianto yelled, " Owen! "

" Ianto! " came Tosh's voice, " over here! "

Ianto looked around, following the sound of her voice as she carried on shouting his name, and he and Lily rounded a few corners until they saw Tosh and Owen standing there, Owen nursing a wound on his leg, dabbing at the blood on it.

" What happened? " Lily demanded.

" Where's Gwen? " Owen asked, " have you heard from Gwen? "

" No," Lily said, taking charge, " we can't get through to her. John showed up at the office and forced me and Ianto out at gun point. Jack's still there, and God knows what John's done to Gwen. We've got to find her. "

" I bet she's in one of these," Tosh said, " we're going to have to start searching. "

They were all walking down the rows and Ianto sighed, " If we have to search all of these, we're never going to find her. "

" Just keep looking! " Tosh said, worried.

Ianto took his phone out, " I'll try ringing her again. "

They all kept quiet as he did so, and then they could hear a phone ringing.

" Over there! " Lily called, pointing and rushing in that direction, followed by Owen, Tosh and then Ianto. The phone was on the ground outside one of the containers, " maybe she dropped it. "

" Or maybe it's a trick," Tosh said carefully, as she pulled her scanner out, " If Gwen used the phone here, I can use the network to triangulate the location where she answered her last call .... got it! "

Tosh turned off and headed in that direction. The others followed at once. They arrived and Tosh announced that the signal was from this corner and they needed up open the containers.

They checked every container in the area, Lily hoping they could find Gwen, hoping shed be okay and they'd all come out of this alright. When she opened another container, she saw a figure lying on her side, facing away - she was just lying there, like she was paralaysed.

" In here," she said.

They all rushed in and Tosh was the one who knelt by Gwen and turned to to face then, looking down into the wide eyes, " It's okay, Gwen, we're here. "

Owen got to her side and started leaning over her, checking her, " She's still breathing. No injuries. Tosh, let's get this thing started. Ianto, take a swab and Lily ... um ... just keep standing there and looking nice. "

Lily was suprised by this but said nothing. As Tosh got her laptop open, Owen started checking Gwen's eyes, muttering to himself and half to the others, " Pupils dilating, she's still conscious. "

Ianto swabbed Gwen's lips and put it to the laptop, where Tosh ran the analysis.

" He's poisoned her! " Tosh informed Owen.

" Anti-toxin kit! " shouted Owen frantically, pointing to the bag behind him.

Owen worked quickly and he managed to save Gwen from a terrible fate. When she was safe and they'd given her time to come around, they all agreed they should get back to the sub. They made their way back and for a while, didn't know what to do, until Jack joined them.

Jack was certain that John would come back, and he told the others to wait for John to come back, and then trap him when they knew what he was up to.

When John reappeared, they all got out of the way and waited to see what he was doing. They all his around the corner as he walked into the autopsy bay, and they all kept out of sight. Lily and Owen were closest to the corner and they were looking around the corner to see what was going on.

Lily wad confused as to what John wanted and she just wanted him out of the way - she wanted him gone so they could all be happy - she just wanted her and Jack to be able to live out the happy life they'd dreamed of.

She watched as John opened the third cannister, that he must have found at the office, and took out a piece inside to match it to pieces from the other two. He put them as a pyramid with a piece missing, on the side.

He turned to look at the blowfish on the table and sighed, " Had to go and steal a car. Had to get yourself noticed. "

Jack motioned for them all to move, and as John was taking the final piece of the pyramid from the blowfish, the team - minus Jack - lined up along the front of the autopsy bay and all loaded the chamber at the same time.

Lily smirked when John turned to look at them.

" Pretty and resiliant," he sighed, looking at the five of them, " is that even fair? "

" Maybe you didn't realise," Gwen said, " but you can beat, shoot, threaten and even poison us, and we keep coming back. Stronger than ever. "

" Well," John said casually, " I think you ought to know that your boss " he looked at Lily " your precious boyfriend - is splayed out on the - "

He stopped, shocked, when Jack came into view, Lily and Gwen making a gap for him to step through and into the front, Lily smiling with pride at the sight of him.

" Pavement," John finished, " huh. Now that's impressive. How does it work? "

" I can't die," Jack said

" No," John said, disbelieving," but really ... "

" No," Jack said, deadly serious, " but really, you can't kill me. No matter how many times you try. I can't die. Not ever. "

" But what does it cost you? " John asked, teasing him, trying to annoy and hurt him, " every time you have to drag yourself back to here, how does it feel? All that pain and trauma. Plus, you're reborn into this godforsaken mess. I pity you. "

" These people, this planet," Jack said, before turning around and winking at Lily, " that beautiful girl there. I've spent years looking for her - and now I've got her. That's what I come back for. "

" Goody for you," John muttered, though Lily was beaming with pride.

" What's in the canisters? " Gwen asked.

" Come-clean time, Captain," Owen said.

" Yeah, alright," John said, " that woman I told you about? Had herself an Arcadian diamond, the rarest gem in the Damascene cluster. Just when I got my hands on her, she only regenerates her own personal riftstorm. God, I hate technological geniuses. "

" I thought you said this was a dying woman's request? " Tosh asked.

" Yeah she was dying," John shrugged, " I shot her. Thought my luck had changed when I found it had ended up here. So, I'm thinking 50-50? Even split, good deal. Or maybe you all fancy an orgy? "

Jack glared at John and then nodded towards the pyramid, " Open it. "

" What, not even a please? " demanded John, " don't your manners get brought back to life, too? "

" Now! " Jack snapped.

" This should give us the location of the diamond," said John, relenting, He stepped forwards and put the triangle pieces together, where they all fitted together perfectly. The pyramid projected a holographic image on the desk, of a beautiful woman.

" There she is," John said with a smirk.

" The woman you murdered," Lily spat, acidly.

" What's the matter? " John asked, winking at her, " are you jealous? I mean, she is rather beautiful. "

" Not a patch on Lily," Jack said simply, not giving John a turn to reply as they looked towards the hologram. The woman was standing there and said in an almost robotic voice, " Well done, you've travelled several galaxies for this. Except ... there's no diamond. "

" What? " John asked, as Lily found herself smirking at this.

" Only this," the hologram woman said.

The metal pyramid opened, and they all watched in anticipation. The three piece base of the pyramid twisted and then seperated. The bright metal disk inside floated out and changed into a circular disk with little metal clamps. Lily realised what it was, and she watched as it zoomed towards John and stuck itself to his chest.

A small red light appeared and it started ticking.

The hologram woman smiled, " It's an explosive devise that will latch onto the DNA of whoever killed me. It'll detonate in ten minutes. " Lily noticed Ianto pulling out a stopwatch. The hologram woman continued, " It can't be removed without exploding, so don't bother trying. Goodbye lover. "

John shouted out his protests, but the hologram woman simply shrugged, " See you in hell. "

When she disappeared, everyone was left in a panic.

" Get it off me! " John yelled, trying to pull it off him.

Lily darted forwards, down the steps before Jack could stop her, as she pulled out her spanner as she headed for John, muttering, " ten minutes. "

" Actually," Ianto said as she started work, concentrating on it, " nine minutes ... 50, 49, 48 ... always at the ready," he said, holding it up.

" How big is this explosion likely to be? " Gwen asked Jack.

It was Lily who answered, looking over her shoulder at the others, " This technology ... and this size ... very big. " She groaned and stepped away from him, " it's no good! I can't get it off - I just ... it's too secure. No way I'll get that off. "

" We really should get him out of the city," Owen said.

" You've got to help me! " John cried out.

Lily shook her head, " There's nothing I can do - it's .... it's not going to happen. "

" We should we help _you? " _Jack demanded as he stepped forwards, gloating.

John pulled back his first and launched it straight at Jack, punching him straight in the face. Lily gapsed and turned to Jack at once, her primary concern the man she loved. She laid a hand on Jack's chest and looked up at him. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead muttering, " I'm fine," before she could even ask.

They had no time to say anything else as there was a hand on Lily's arm. She screamed and tried to pull away. Jack grabbed her other arm and pulled her right out of Johns grasp, shoving her behind him and moving in front of her protectively. John had wanted to grab the one who seemed to mean the most to Jack, but seeing Gwen nearby he changed tactis. John grabbing Gwen's arm roughly and dragging her backwards. There were cries of protests, and John dragged her backwards and handcuffed her to him.

" What've you done? " Gwen demanded, staring at John.

John shrugged, " It's ... uh ... hypersteel, impermeable, deadlocked sealed. No way to undo it, unless you have this key. " He held up a key and then swallowed it. Lily ran a hand through ehr hair - brilliant. Now Gwen was going to get blown up.

" You are unbelieveable! " Gwen hissed.

" And yet you find me strangely attractive," John said with a smirk, before looking at the others, " now, you'd better come up with a solution or she'll be blown up with me. "

" Would shooting him stop the DNA trigger? " asked Owen, holding his gun up.

" No," Jack insisted

" So what are we going to do now, team? " John asked, mocking them, " The orgy's still on offer, by the way, especially now the cuffs are out. "

" Nine minutes, three seconds," Ianto informed them.

" Tosh," Gwen said, trying to remain calm, " the rift predictor program - have you perfected it yet? "

" Pretty much," Tosh nodded, the other wondering what was going on

" Anything in the next few minutes? " Gwen asked.

" Gwen, no way," Jack told her firmly as Tosh went to check.

" What's she going to do? " Lily muttered.

Gwen sighed and then said, " If we're in the rift when the disk explodes, then the city will be safe. Only problem is, it doesn't save me and him. "

" You're bluffing," John said, with disbelief.

" Try me," Gwen said, deadly serious.

" The car park where he arrived," Tosh said, as she approached the group again, " the crack in the lift is still active. "

" Then that's where we're going," said Gwen, turning away and pulling John away from the workstations and heading for the doors, while he shouting his protests all the way. Ianto and Tosh followed, and Jack was starting to follow, Lily following Jack, until Owen reached over and touched Jack's arm.

Jack looked back at him and Owen pointed back towards the autopsy area, " Come on, come on," he muttered.

Jack nodded and started to follow before turning back to Lily, grasping her hand in his and getting her to come with him - all he wanted to do was keep Lily with him. He wished this had never happened - the plan was for them to get back to Earth and then spend their time together, not running around after some stupid arrogant man.

" I've got an idea," Owen said, looking at the pair of them, " and I'm going to need blood samples - a few different ones. We just get them and add them together and - "

" And mix them," Lily finished for him, " you're hoping it will confuse the disk if you've got different DNA samples. "

Owen looked at her, thrown a little by her capacity to know all these things. He caught himself and then nodded before looking around, " Right, I'll prepare the mixing cannister. Lily - the fridge just over there, behind you - can you get out different blood samples - make sure they're the team's, and give them to Jack. Jack, add them together. "

Lily nodded, and they got to work. She opened the fridge exactly as Owen directed and saw several vials of blood samples. She picked a few up, reading the labels, and when she saw the one that was labelled Toshiko Sato, she added it to Jack, before turning back to the fridge and searching for the others. She was determined to help them, because she wanted to know everything was going to be alright.

When they'd got all of the blood samples, Owen put them into a mixing cannister. Lily looked at the cannister thoughtfully.

" How about I add some of _my _blood? " she asked, " that might really confuse it. "

Lily didn't mind that the rest of the team would find out she wasn't human at some point because if she was going to be working with them, she didn't think there was any harm in them knowing it. And she supposed that if they were alien experts, they could handle the fact that she was an alien.

" No," Jack told her, " there's no need. We don't know what it might do. "

" It wouldn't do anything," she said, as Owen worked away, pretending he couldn't hear them.

" Still .... " Jack said, " Owen's got enough there. "

When it was done, Jack picked up a syringe.

" This better work," he said.

" Trust me," Owen said, " I'm an improvisor. "

They hurried out of the hub, and once outside, Jack looked frantically for a car. Around the back of the hub was the carpark of the Torchwood staff's cars that they drove into work. Jack saw Gwen's car sitting there and sighed to himself, deciding they'd have to hi-jack it. With a little help from Lily's laser spanner, they were in the car and speeding off towards the place where they'd find the others.

Once they were there, the car screeched up to see Tosh and Ianto watching as Gwen tried to haul John towards the golden light of the rift. Owen got out of the car first, rushing towards them, and Jack got out, holding the syringe. Lily followed as fast as she could, knowing they had very little time left.

" Thirty seconds left," Ianto told them.

Jack ran towards John, telling the others to stay back, and he tackled John, who stilled protested, stabbing the syringe of blood straight into his chest and emptyiny the misxture before standing back and waiting for a reaction.

" Owen, it's not working! " Jack shouted.

" What're you doing? " asked Gwen, frowning.

" Trrying to confuse the disk! " Owen replied frantically.

" Twelve seconds," Ianto told them.

" Jack - do something! " Lily hissed, " they're not going to make it! "

Gwen grabbed John, not caring for herself, only for protecting the city and pulled him towards the rift. Jack reached down to help her grab John, from where he'd tackled him to the ground, and as he pulled him to his feet, the disk fell off. Lily smiled a little.

" Five seconds," Ianto said.

Jack grabbed the disk.

" Four," Ianto called as he started to back away, Owen grabbed Tosh and pulling her away.

" Three," Ianto continued.

Jack looked towards the rift and Lily felt a hand at her arm. She looked to see Ianto looming over her, and he was pushing her backwards towards the cars.

" Two! " he shouted at Jack, as he, Lily, Tosh and Owen went for cover behind the cars.

Jack hurled the disc into the rift.

" One," Ianto muttered as the explosion set off and the four of them behind the car threw themselves to their knees, heads down, to keep cover. The sheer explosion shuddered through the ground and there was a loud boom before it was all over.

Lily brought her head up to look.

As she stood up, she looked at Ianto, " Thanks," she said.

He shrugged, " I was hardly going to let you stand there staring at Jack. "

She blushed a little, " I wasn't staring at Jack. " Ianto gave her a look. She sighed, " Fine then, but he _is _incredibly handsome. "

" Everyone alright? " Owen asked, standing up.

Lily nodded and they headed back over to Jack, Gwen and John.

" What was in the syringe? " Gwen asked Owen.

"Torchwood DNA," supplied Owen, " samples from the five of us, fused and injected into the heart. Temporarily corrupted his DNA coding, confused the disc. "

" Thank you," Gwen sighed, relieved.

" You're welcome. "

" I want you gone," Jack said, glaring at John.

" We've got to find a way of getting these off first," Gwen said, holding up her hand, cuffed to John's. John simply laughed and held up a finger before tilting his head back and reaching down his mouth. He gagged a little and then pulled his hand away, dangling a key in front of them.

" Old Artesian trick," he said, " keeping the key in the lining of the throat. "

" You had that all along? " Gwen demanded.

John shrugged, and Lily hated him in that moment - so smarmy - thinking he was it. He smirked at Gwen, " you were my passport to survival. No hard feelings," he said as he unlocked the cuffs.

Gwen shook her head at him and then took a step back. She swung her arm back and then hit John as hard as she could in the face. He groaned and staggered backwards a little, clutching at his mouth. Lily was a little suprised, but this was soon replaced with amusement as she smield a little.

" Remind me never to get on your bad side," Ianto muttered, as Owen laid a hand on Gwen's shoulder and gently moved her away, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

John seemed relucant to leave and he pouted at Jack, " If you need a new team member ... "

" No. "

" But I could - "

" No," Jack said, looking around and then seeing Lily a short way off, standing with Tosh and Owen. He pointed a finger at her as he looked at John, " we've got a new team member, right there. We don't need you. Now go now, and you can harness the rift energy. "

" Listen ... " John started.

" Goodbye," Jack said firmly.

" Okay," said John, moving forwards and grabbing Jack, kissing him forcefully. Lily stared, horrified, and moved towards the pair of them - Jack was _hers _and she wouldn't stand for anyone else kissing him. Flirting was something she knew wouldn't stop, but no-one was going to touch him.

By the time she'd reached their sides, Jack had managed to push John away from him, and John was grinning. He winked at Lily, " Quite the snogger, isn't he? Ooh, you lucky girl. "

He walked away and Lily stared after him, all ready to charge forwards and hit him. Jack smiled a little at her jealous reaction and put his arm around her waist, holding her to him - something which silenced her and calmed her, just being so close to him.

They all watched as John pressed a button on his wristband and the golden gaseous light appeared, surrounding him.

" Oh, by the way," John called, looking at Jack, " I found Grey. "

Then he was gone.

Jack stiffened the moment he heard the name and he sucked in a breath. Then he moved his arm from around Lily and turned away, taking a few step away, turning his back on his friends and shaking his head a little.

Lily recognised the name as being Jack's brother, who had gotten lost - presumed dead - during an alien invasion, when Jack was just a child. Jack had only mentioned his brother once, and it had been during a particular night when they sat in her room on the TARDIS, just talking.

They learnt all sorts about each other that night, and as they swapped stories, Jack had opened up and told her about Grey, though he'd only mentioned him that one time.

Lily understood how much of a shock this must be to Jack, and she didn't know how best to help him.

" Who's Grey? " Gwen asked.

" It's nothing," Jack said, turning to face them all, his face completely serious, still in shock, " come on, let's get back to the hub. You lot should be getting home ... it's late. "

They all started heading back for the SUV, leaving Jack standing where he was

Lily approached him from behind and laid a hand on his arm, " Hey," she said lightly, " You alright? you wanna talk about it or something? "

He turned to face her, " No, I don't need to talk," he said, " it's just ... a shock. I ... I don't know. But I don't need to talk," he repeated, " I just need you to be here and be with me. "

" I'm not going anywhere," she told him.

" Good, he said, leaning in. She smiled and they shared a brief kiss on the lips. Lily smiled when they broke apart and she leant against Jack as they started walking.

" Come on Captain," she said, " you can show me my new home properly now. "

He nodded.

***

**Author's Note: Hope everyone thought that was alright - it was a little difficult knowing how to get the reactions to Lily, and there's still a lot of that do to. I'm hoping the next chapter will be a bit of Lily and the rest of the team talking**

**I'm going to try to establish Lily's different friendships with the team, since she'd probably be closer to some people than others, but I'm not sure who yet. I think I can see her being friends with Ianto and with Owen.**

**Let me know what you thought about it.**


	4. Conversations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This is something I've thrown together to advance her friendships with the team and get her a bit more used to Torchwood - not sure if it works that well, but here we are.**

Chapter Four

That night, the rest of the team went home, and when they were gone, Lily smiled. She was left all alone with the man she loved and she couldn't think of anything better - they'd defeated everything in their way, and now they were together.

She said goodbye to Ianto, who left last, promising to lock up the tourist office on his way. The moment he was out of the door and Lily realised she had Jack all to herself, she crossed the hub - still amazed by the entire place - and stopped outside the office, where she knew he was.

She smiled and then knocked on the door.

" Lily? " he called, " is that you? "

She pushed open the door and then smiled at him a little. He was sitting behind his desk, which was scattered with books and paper, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the desk.

" Hi," she said, " everyone's gone home. "

" You don't have to knock, you know," Jack told her as she walked forwards, " you can come in whenever you want. What's mine is yours and all that ... and since our bedroom's right under here ... "

She shrugged, " Thought I'd better knock, 'cause you could be doing anything in here .... though it doesn't look like there's much work being done. " She eyed the way he was sitting back in his chair, not looking like he'd been working much.

" Yeah well, first day back," he said, taking his feet from the desk and setting them on the ground, " there's more important things to be doing."

" Such as? " she asked, smiling at him.

" Spending time with my gorgeous girlfriend," he replied, standing up slowly, and moving towards her.

" You're such a charmer," she muttered as he came to stand right in front of her. He grinned at her and put his hands on her waist lightly. She was a little cautious, still scared from the Year That Never Was, but she knew Jack was perfect for her and she'd never have to suffer again when she had Jack.

He leaned in and told her, " I'm hoping flattery will get me everywhere. "

She also leaned in towards him, eyes on his lips, feeling so happy to be here and to be with him, " Maybe it will," she told him, as he nuzzled his nose against hers. She giggled as the cold tip of his nose met hers and his breath tickled her. Then he moved one hand from her waist to under her chin and tilted it upwards as he brought his lips down on hers.

He kissed her lightly and she smiled into it, kissing back. It felt brilliant and she wanted to go further, but wasn't sure. Jack took matters into his own hands, his tounge reaching her lips, and making her part them for him. She ran a hand through Jack's hair as his tounge explored her mouth, but suddenly she remembered the Master.

Then Jack's tounge seemed to be too much, and his lips against hers seemed smothering. She laid her hands on his chest and pulled away from him. He looked down at her, questioningly, and she shook her head at him, feeling regretful.

" I'm sorry," she told him, " it just got a bit ... I mean, I started thinking about ... God, I'm sorry, Jack. "

" Hey," he said softly, putting his hands on her arms, " don't worry about it. "

" No," she said, dropping her hands from him and leaving them at her side, " you're so lovely and understanding, but then I'm getting all freaked out, and - "

Jack cut her off by drawing her into a hug, " I told you, it doesn't matter. You've had it rough, and I'm going to stand by you and support you through it. And soon, everything will go away, and you'll feel much better. "

" God, you're so lovely and supportive," she sighed, hugging him back, " I love you. "

" I love you," he said, as they broke apart. He looked at her for a moment and then smiled at her a little. He then turned away and walked to the middle of the room, where there was a manhole cover on the ground.

Lily watched with anticipation, telling herself to get over her fears, and get on with it. Everything would be alright soon, she knew it - with Jack at her side, how could it not be?

She watched as he knelt down on the floor and looked down at the manhole cover. He grabbed a handle on the cover and pulled it up sharply, revealing a hole. He put the cover down at the side of the hole and then turned around, ready to climb down it.

He looked at Lily with a grin, " Going down," he said.

She watched him with her own silly little smile as he swung his legs down there, and started to descend down a ladder. When he was out of sight, she stepped closer to the manhole, excited about seeing her new bedroom - their new home.

" Are you coming? " Jack called from the bottom.

She got to her knees and knelt over the hole, looking down at him. He stood with his hands on her hips, looking up at her. She smiled and decided to go for it. She turned around and put her foot to the top rung of the ladder.

She climbed down the short ladder slowly, and eager to spend her time with Jack, she jumped off, missing out the bottom few rungs.

When she landed, she looked around to see that they were in a small room, and there was nothing in it other than the door on the left.

Jack was standing in front of the door and she grinned, stepping towards him, determined that this would be their time to be happy." Well," she said, " this is the bedroom then? Not up to much, is it? "

He laughed and nodded towards the door.

" There," he said," the bedroom. After you. "

She smiled and moved closer to the door. Jack stepped out of the way and allowed her to get to the door, and open it first. Lily swung the door opened and took a step into the room.

She nodded to herself, looking around. It wasn't a very big room, but wasn't a small room - just about the right size. The walls were a plain cream colour and had little decoration on them. There was a large bed pushed up against one wall, with a chest of drawers next to it, a lamp and alarm clock sitting ontop of it.

A small desk littered with papers sat at one end of the room, and against one wall was a wardrobe and a bookcase with all sorts scattered on it. Beside the desk was another door.

Lily looked around the room and nodded, " Yeah, this is alright," she said, looking over her shoulder at Jack, " your taste in interior design is a little iffy, and we're going to need to give this place a woman's touch, but I like it. "

" Glad you like it," Jack said.

She shrugged, " It's not bad, as bedrooms go. Could be worse. "

She looked back at Jack and then crossed the room to the other door. She pulled it open and looked inside at the bathroom, which was also a decent size, though nothing too grand. It had a white porcelain sink, toilet, a large corner bath and a shower in the other corner.

She closed the door and turned back to Jack.

" So this is our home? " she asked him.

He nodded, " This, and the rest of the hub. There's a kitchen up there, and a sort of recreational, living room thing. Plus the office, and the med bay, the archives and the cells - not that we'll be going in those much, I wouldn't have thought. "

" No," she said, " I think when we're not working, down here will suffice. "

He was standing there and she smiled, moving forwards and hugging him. He smiled warmly as he hugged her back and they stayed like that for a long moment, happy together.

When their long hug was over, Jack looked at her, " How about we get into bed? " he said, " I just to be able to go to sleep with you by my side - in my arms. Just ... there. "

" That sounds .... nice," she nodded, " though I've got no other clothes, since I stupidly decided to leave everything on the TARDIS. "

" I'm sure I'll find you something," Jack said.

She smiled and stepped away from him, going to sit on the bed. She brought her legs up and sat cross-legged as she watched Jack open the wardrobe and search for something to give her to wear. She smiled - a year ago, she had no Jack, and she was basically miserable. Now, she was living with him, would be working with him, and wearing his clothes.

Soon, they were lying in the bed, completely absorbed in each other. Lily was lying on her side, propped up on one elbow, wearing one of Jack's button down blue shirts which fell to halfway down her thighs. Jack was lying on his side too, facing her, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts.

They lay there, facing each other, talking about anything and everything.

" How do you think they'll feel when they know I'm an alien, Jack? " Lily asked, when tey were in the middle of a discussion about the Torchwood team.

Jack replied, " They're used to working with aliens. Although they're used to aliens being the enemy, so it might be a little odd, but they know you're not a threat ... or at least, they will do when they've worked with you a little longer. "

" Do you think I should just tell them what I am? " she asked, " they're all already curious, from some of the things I say. I bet they won't rest until they know. "

" Tell them whatever you want," Jack told her, " it's all down to you, what you want them to know. But whatever you tell them, they'll be alright with it. "

She smiled at the way he had an anwer for everything and simply nodded.

" I'll ask you one thing though," he said to her, " You already know that the team don't know anything about my life, other than that I cannot die, Jack Harkness isn't my real name, and I was a Time Agent. Just don't ... well, you can tell them some suff, I suppose, but don't go tell them every little thing about my life, right? "

She smiled, rolling her eyes, " Oh please," she scoffed, " I'm hardly going to go spilling all _your _little secrets. "

He laughed and she rolled over onto her back, shifting towards him. He also rolled onto his back and when she got to his side, she nestled up against his bare chest. He laughed and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and planting a kiss in her hair.

Lily sighed contently but then a thought entered her head. She bit her lip, wondering if the subject would be too difficult for Jack to talk about, but after considering it, she said gently, " Jack, what did John mean about Grey? "

At the mention of the name, Jack seemed to stiffen, but after a pause he said, " I don't know, baby. I ... I don't know. "

" Do you think he really has found him? " Lily asked, thinking how nice it might be for Jack to have his brother back.

" I don't know," Jack said.

There was a pause during which Lily half-wished she hadn't brought it up, since it had killed the conversation. Then Jack started playing with her hair with one hand as he held her to him.

" I don't want to think about it," Jack said quietly, " I want to think about something else because it's so ... difficult. "

" I'm sorry," Lily muttered, " I just - "

" Don't be sorry," he said, " you just thought I might want to talk about it. But I want you to take my mind off it - tell me something else. " He sighed and then said, " how about you tell me a story to take my mind off it? Tell me about something amazing you did. "

She nodded, " How about the time I became human? "

***

When Lily woke up the next morning, she was in the bed on her own. She looked around, a little confused and then sat up. She saw that Jack wasn't in the bedroom, and when she called out his name, there was no answer.

It looked like he hadn't been in his side of the bed for a couple of hours.

She got out of the bed, standing in the middle of the room wearing her underwear and one of Jack's shirts, her hair all messed up from tossing and turning in the night.

Confused and wanting to know where Jack was, she left the bedroom and went for the ladder. She stopped at the bottom of it and looked up to see the manhole cover was closed. She laid a hand on one of the rungs and started climbing the ladders. When she was near the top she kept hold with one hand, and with the other, grabbed the handle on the underneath and pushed it up with as much force as she could.

It moved out of her way and she shoved it aside, climbing the last few rungs and stopping at the top, staying on the ladder and poking her head out, resting her arms on the floor of Jack's office.

" So this is where you are," she said, looking at where Jack sat behind his desk, reading over a piece of paper.

" No rest for the wicked," he said, lowering the paper and looking at her. " Sorry to leave you, but I had to make an early start on this - I need to catch up on the reports from while I was away. "

" Is everyone else already in? " she asked him.

Jack got up from his desk and came to stand near her. He looked down at her and then got down on his knees beside the manhole cover. " I should hope so," he said, " since it's 9AM. If they weren't in, they'd be very late. "

" Why did you let me sleep in? " she asked him with a pout, " I should be up and working too, if everyone else is. I'm part of the team too, right? You can't be giving me special priviledges "

He shrugged, " I'm sorry, but you looked so peaceful just lying there, and I didn't want to wake you up. "

She laughed and he leaned down to kiss her. They shared a brief but fantastic kiss, and then Jack drew himself away and stood up, grinning down at her.

" I suppose I'd better get dressed," she said, getting ready to go back down the ladder.

" Oh, I don't know," Jack said, " I think you look fine in that shirt of mine. "

" Really? " she asked him, " shall I just go out there like this, then? In fact, shall I go wandering around Cardiff in this? "

" Fine," he said, " go get changed and then get back up here so I can see your lovely face again. "

When Lily was dressed (in the one outfit she had with her) she joined Jack in his office and when he'd signed off one of the pieces of paperwork, he offered to show her around the hub properly. It took them most of the morning to look around and to look at everything.

Lily was amazed by everything she saw, and once she knew where everything was archived, she made a mental note to read some of it when she had the time - she knew some of her own adventures on Earth might be written there, as well as what her dad did before she was born.

It was around mid-day when they were done, and they stopped at a workstation that was free. Jack told her this could be hers from now on. As they stood by the desk, which was closest to Tosh's, though Gwen's wasn't far away, nor was the med bay or Jack's office, Jack told her,

" I'm sure there'll be plenty of work for you after a while," he said, " and I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I delegated some of my paperwork to you - you'll understand it as well as I do, some of it more, probably. You can look through some of it for me. And when it comes to dealing with UNIT, they can be a pain, I was hoping you'd - "

" Deal with them so you don't have to? " Lily finished, smiling at him.

He nodded.

She rolled her eyes, " I suppose I will, since they know me - know my dad better. But don't go thinking you're dumping all of your paperwork on me! I'll take _some _of it. "

" Oi! " Owen said, as he approached the pair of them, catching the attention of both of them. When they looked at him, he continued, " sorry to break your conversation up, but I need a blood sample from Lily. "

" You do? " Lily asked, looking at him.

He nodded, " Torchwood has a blood sample for all of its employees, so if you're planning on sticking around, I need to take yours. Shouldn't take long. "

" And what do you do with this blood sample? " Lily asked Owen, suspicious. He knew - as did the others - that there was something odd about her, and she suspected he'd probably try and do some tests on it or something.

" Just keep it and store it," Owen said.

Lily looked at Jack, who had nothing to say on the matter, and then nodded, " Yeah," she said, " yeah, alright. "

The blood sample didn't take long, since Owen was a quick and efficent worker even if his manners left a lot to be desired. Lily was sitting on the big slab in the medical table, holding a bit of cotton wool to stem the light bleeding, while Owen stood a short way off, holding a vial of her blood and attaching a label to it.

" Surname? " he asked her.

She shrugged, " I don't really have one. "

He just looked at her and shook his head, " You must have a surname. "

She shrugged again, " No. If you must know, Lily's not even my real name, but my name's too long and doesn't shorten prettily, so it became Lily somewhere along the way. But if you insist on writing a surname, just put Harkness. "

Owen didn't look at her as he wrote on the label, " You and Jack aren't married though? "

" Nah," she said.

He cleared his throat, " Did you ... have you ever been married or anything? Or has it always been Jack? "

She laughed, throwing the cotton wool in the nearby bin and swinging her legs as she sat on the slab, " Yeah, I got married once. It didn't last, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. We lived in a little place in the country. He was really into his writing, you know? I think his best work was .... Romeo and Juliet, though his Hamlet was fantastic. "

Owen looked up at her as she slid off the block and stood up.

" You've got more stories than Jack," he said, " do you have any that are actually _true_? "

She shrugged, beginning to walk away, " Who says that ones not? Is it so unreasonable to believe I married Shakespeare? "

" Yes! " Owen called after her, " It is! "

She just laughed as she headed back for Jack's office, finding it quite funny that she'd managed to confuse Owen so much, and she knew she could have a lot of fun with the team, even if it wasn't particularly nice.

She crossed back through the hub, passing Tosh, who smiled at her and who she smiled at in return, and Gwen who didn't even look up from her paperwork. Jack was still standing by Lily's new workstation.

" Everything alright? " he asked her.

She nodded, " It was just a blood sample," she said, " though I get the feeling that he isn't the type to let anything go. No doubt he'll be running all sorts of tests on it. " She shrugged, " just let him. It's no big deal to me when they find out I'm an alien. Ianto already knows. "

" Yeah, but he's not the type to gossip, and he doesn't know much , does he? " Jack asked her.

She shrugged, " Nah, not really. I told him I was the Doctor's Daughter, back at Canary Wharf, and he knew who the Doctor was - thought I was a legend or something. "

Jack laughed, just looking at her. He always thought she was just amazing.

There was a brief pause before she looked at him, looked away and looked back at him, " Listen," she said, " I know this is a bit cheeky since I've just started working here, but I thought since I don't have much to do, and it's quiet around here, I could .... "

" Anything you want," Jack said as she trailed off.

" Would you mind if I nipped to the shops? " she asked him, " only, I've the one outfit, and I'm gonna need some more clothes. I won't be long. "

" Course you can," Jack said.

Lily smiled and reached for her jacket.

Jack frowned and then said, " Hey listen, this is your home now, and I don't want to be giving you orders all the time. You're so clever and independant that you don't deserve to be following my orders constantly - if you want to go out, provided the world isn't ending and we desperately need you, then you just go, yeah? "

She smiled, and then reached up to kiss his cheek, before turning away and heading for the door.

" Hey! " Jack called after her, making her turn around from across the hub and look at him.

" Yeah? "

" How are you going to buy anything? " he asked her, smirking a little, " I'll bet you don't have any money on you, do you? "

She searched her pockets and then frowned, " Oh ... yeah. " She walked back towards him, Tosh and Gwen watching the conversation with interest. Lily pulled out a couple of silver coins and showed them to Jack hopefully.

" You'll have to remind me," she said, " these aren't worth much, in 21st century British Earth money, are they? "

Tosh and Gwen now had the same completely confused looks at "Earth money."

Jack shook his head at her, " That won't get you very far," he told her as she shoved the money back into her pocket. He reached into his own pockets and pulled out a few notes, pushing them into her hand, " Here. Buy yourself a few new things. "

" Jack, I can't take money from you," she said, " I don't want your money. "

Jack rolled his eyes, amused, " Lily," he said, trying to get through to her, " you've got one outfit, and you've no money for around here. If you're that bothered, when you get your first wage, you can give me the money back ... not that I'll accept it. "

Lily smiled at him, " I won't need much," she said, smiling at him and then turning towards the doors again.

As she left, she heard Gwen demand to Jack, " Why does she get to go swanning off shopping when there's work to be done Jack? You should be treating us all as equals! "

Lily stopped in the doorway, and considered turning back to argue with Gwen, but she decided it wasn't worth it and kept on walking, not even bothering to listen to Jack's answer.

***

When Lily came back into the hub a few hours later, she came through the tourist office entrance to find that Ianto wasn't in there. She let herself in and as she walked into the hub carrying a few bags from the shops, she saw Ianto, Gwen, Tosh and Owen gathered around Gwen and Tosh's workstation.

They all turned to look at Lily when she walked through the doors, in a way that made her feel certain they'd all been talking about her. They looked at her, and she gave them a smile, though they all continued to watch her as she walked to her desk.

" Did you get what you wanted? " Gwen called over.

Lily smiled back, though the smile was strained, " Yeah, thanks. "

Picking up the bags, she decided to go talk to Jack, and made her way over to his office, fully aware of everyone else's eyes on her back, knowing they'd continue talking when she was gone.

She entered the office without knocking to see Jack leant over his desk scribbling away.

He looked up when he heard the door open, and he put his pen down when he saw Lily standing there.

" Hey baby," he said with a grin.

" Hi," she said, approaching him. She put her bags down on the chair opposite Jack's desk, and then started to pull things out, " want to see what I got? " she asked, without giving him the chance to answer.

She'd bought two pair of jeans and a selection of cheap brightly coloured t-shirts, and a pair of black boots from a cheap shop she'd found called Primark or something. She bought a selection on new underwear (which Jack was very interested in.)

" Did you get me anything? " Jack asked her with a grin, still slightly dazed from the underwear.

She reached into another bag and looked up at him with a grin, " I thought I'd buy us a few things so we could have a good night. " When she saw the grin on his face, she shook her head, " Mind of the gutter, Harkness. "

Reaching into the bag, she carefully pulled out a chocolate cake, then a can of whipped cream, and then a bottle of champagne. Jack laughed and nodded with appreciation, " I like the way you think. "

Lily grinned, " Brilliant. I'm going to leave everything in here because I can't be bothered going down the ladder and back up. I'm going to go get a drink, shall I get you one? "

Jack shook his head at her, " No, I need to make a call to someone - it's important and needs ot be dealt with, so you go out there for a bit, and talk to the others or something. "

She nodded and turned towards the door.

" Oh! " Jack called after her," I'll tell you one thing though, if you're having a drink, get Ianto to make the coffee. He makes the best coffee you'll ever taste - I mean it. You remember how we said we'd find someone who could make a decent coffee - "

" Because neither of us can make it," she finished with a smile, closing the door on her way out.

Once again, the rest of the team were looking at her, and stopped talking when they saw her. She rolled her eyes and decided to tackle it.

" Hi," she said, wandering over to them, " what're we talking about? "

There was an awkward pause, before Ianto clapped his hands together, " Right then," he said, clearly changing the subject, " how about I make everyone a drink? "

Everyone agreed.

" Lily? " Ianto asked her, " how do you like it? "

She shrugged, " Milky, no sugar. Can't wait to try it, by the way - Jack reckons it's brilliant. "

Lily was suprised when she saw Ianto blush a little, and then he said a little awkwardly, " Yes ... well ... Jack's always been very fond of my coffee. " He sighed and then cleared his throat, moving towards the kitchen, " I'll get on with the drinks. "

" We'll all be in the rec room," Gwen said as he walked away

" Will we? " Lily asked, a little suprised.

Tosh, Owen and Gwen exchanged looks and Lily wondered what they'd been talking about - no doubt they were demanding to know more about her, and were piecing together what they knew.

" Look," Owen said, " you said yesterday, that'd you tell us about you, at some point. There's something really odd about you, so it's time to explain. No time like the present, is there? "

She shrugged, " If you insist. "

The four of them headed for the recreation room which was a small room next to the kitchen. All that was in this room was a sofa, an armchair, a large footstool, a bookcase and a coffee table with a television on it.

Lily sat in the armchair, while Owen sat down on the footstool, Gwen and Tosh and the sofa. They were sat in an awkward silence until Ianto entered carrying a tray. He handed out mugs of coffee to everyone before sitting down between Gwen and Tosh.

Lily took a sip of the coffee and then closed her eyes, " Oh God," she muttered, licking her lips, " this is .... mmmm, this is the best .... oh God, and I thought Jack was exaggerating. "

" Thank you," Ianto said with a smile.

Lily took another sip and then nodded, " I can't make a decent coffee, you know, and neither can Jack, so we always said we'd have to find someone who could make a decent one. "

" Glad to be of service," Ianto muttered.

They all had a drink, and Lily was just waiting for them to start demanding to know more about her. She wanted to fit in with them, but she wanted to be completely honest with them.

" So," Owen said, putting his mug down on the table behind him, " interesting thing happened earlier, Lily. I took that blood sample, and then I got a little curious. Now, it's a lot like human ble, true, but it's not human, is it? "

Lily rolled her eyes, " I _knew _you'd do some tests on it. "

" You're not human," Owen said, " but you look human, you sound human, and everything about you seems human. I couldn't determine what you are from the blood, so you tell us. What are you? "

" I'm an alien," she said simply.

" You're an alien? " Gwen asked, raising her eyebrows, " what kind of alien? Does Jack know? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah, of course Jack knows, he's not an idiot. And before any of you get any ideas, I'm not an alien here to destroy the world. I've spent years travelling around saving planets - especailly this one - from certain doom. "

" But what are you? " Owen asked.

Lily shrugged, " I'm a Time Lord. "

" A what? " Tosh asked.

Lily sighed, seeing blank looks on Gwen and Owen's faces too, though Ianto knew, " Oh, come on! " she said, " you haven't heard the old legends? No? Haven't any of you read up about Torchwood's history? "

Owen shrugged, " The archives are boring. "

Lily shook her head at Owen, " They won't be boring - there'll be all sorts in there. "

" But what's a time lord? " Gwen asked, " what do they do? Where are they from? "

Lily sighed as she thought about it - it was all going to take a lot to explain, and they were probably going to be confused. " Once upon a time," she said with a little grin as the others listened carefully, including Ianto, who knew very few details, " there was this big planet called Gallifrey, and if was full of Time Lords and Time Ladies. Apparently it was magnificent. Big empire of Time Lords. " She sighed, " and then it all went wrong. There was a war, and it ended in them all dying. There was me and my Dad - the Doctor - left at the end of it. I was just a kid, don't really remember it. "

" But what does a time lord do? " asked Gwen.

Lily took a moment to answer the question, trying not to think about the ones that had died, and how there was just she and her dad left. " It's not set in stone," she said, " but after the war, my dad and I travelled. My dad's the cleverest man you'll ever meet - knows everything about all the planets and races out there, and the entire history of the universe. He's ... he's the most amazing man you'd ever meet. So me and Dad travelled around in the TARDIS. "

" TARDIS? " asked Owen.

Lily nodded, the others all completely fixed on her, " Stands for time and relative dimensions in space. Basically, it's a spaceship. It can travel anywhere in the entire universe, and the best bit is, it travels in time. "

This was met by a silence until Tosh broke it, " No way. "

" Yes way," Lily said with a grin, " basically, I've spent my life travelling anywhere in time and space with my dad, sightseeing and learning about other planets and people, and having to stop other aliens causing mayhem. Oh, and there's usally a lot of running. "

" This is ... unbelieveable," Gwen muttered, " we're working with an alien ... and the alien's on our side, for once. "

" Not only that," Ianto added, " this alien is why Torchwood was founded in the first place. "

The others all turned to look at him. " What? " Owen demanded, " you knew what she was and you didn't tell us? We've all been dying to know! "

Ianto shrugged a little, " It wasn't up to me to say. I only really know from looking through the archives. "

Lily got the feeling that the team were still in shock, as they had very little to say to her. Since no-one else was talking, she continued, " Torchwood was founded in 1869 by Queen Victoria, yes. My Dad, our friend Rose, and I met Queen Victoria at Torchwood House, in Scotland. Something happened and there was a werewolf there. When it was all over - cause it all got sorted soon enough - Vicky was appalled by the kind of threats things like the werewolf posed to the empire. She knighted the three of us, and then banished us. She said we were dangerous because of how we acted around it. She was worried about what could happen in the future, so she set up Torchwood. "

The rest of the team didn't quite know what to saw until Tosh said quietly, " So, Torchwood was founded to protect against people like you and your dad, and now you're working for us? "

" Yeah," Lily said.

" But ... then you're a threat? " Gwen asked.

Lily was beginning to become quite annoyed by Gwen, even if she couldn't quite figure out why - there was just something so anonying about her. Why did she think she was in charge?

Lily laughed," I'm not a threat. Jack loves me but he wouldn't have brought me back here if I was going to be a threat to you lot. He cares a lot about you. "

They fell into a little silence until Owen leaned forwards eagerly and asked her," So you're a Time Lord, but Time Lords look just like humans. Are there any differences? "

" A few," Lily nodded, " including a heightened eyesight, hearing, smell, taste - sometimes I can tell where I am by sniffing the air, or how old something is by licking it. Oh, I've got an extra set of ribs. I have two hearts. I we can live for a very, very long time. I'm about 200, to 210. My Dad's about 900. "

This revelation shocked them all, " Are you serious? " Owen asked, " two hearts? And you can live for that long? How does that even work? "

" What kind of people have you met, if you can go anywhere? " Tosh asked.

" Where did you meet Jack? " Ianto asked, " Jack would never tell me any details, even if he mentioned you a little. "

Gwen nodded, " And there was something really odd you said yesterday - you and Jack got seperated, but you said it was longer for you than it was for him. And you said Jack had just been gone for a year to him, but it was only a couple of months for us. How does that work? "

Lily smiled at all the interest, and didn't know exactly how to answer them all, but she was looking forward to trying to tell them everything - so far they were accepting her easily enough, and she hoped they'd continue to have an open mind.

The door opened and Jack was in the doorway.

" I thought I'd find you all in here," he said, " what is it, story time? "

Lily nodded, " Yeah, wanna join us? "

Jack shook his head , " Sorry to break this up, but Owen, you need to finish the report on the blowfish. Tosh, rift technology needs updating, and Lily, UNIT are on the phone and I've had just about enough of the smarmy get in charge of them so I mentioned your name and the Doctor's, so he said he'd talk to you. "

Lily looked around at everyone, " Sorry, looks like story time will have to resume another day. "

" No problem spacegirl," Owen shrugged, causing Jack to grin a little.

When Lily got to the door, she smiled at Jack, " What's up with this UNIT guy then? Does he remind you too much of you? "

" Cheeky," he muttered as she brushed past him.

She turned around and stuchk her tounge out at him.

***

That night, Jack and Lily were sitting up in bed with a piece of chocolate cake on a plate and a glass of champagne each. Lily cuddled up against Jack as they did so, feeling so content.

" Today wasn't a bad day then," she said, " didn't have to do much work. "

He laughed, " Don't expect many more days like that. "

She shrugged, "And the team didn't even seem to mind about me being an alien. "

Jack smirked, " Must be one of the perks of sleeping with the boss. "

Lily turned to look at him and she swatted his arm playfully, " No-one's sleeping with anyone if you carry on like that," she said, " you can go sleep on the sofa. "

He pouted.

She laughed at him and took a sip of her drink.

***

**Author's Note: That wasn't going to be as long, but hopefully it worked  
Let me know what you thought, and if you've got any ideas for the future**


	5. Sleeper

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Just to let you all know, the episodes I am planning on doing are Sleeper, Meat, Adam, Reset/Dead man walking/a day in death. Then the whole Sontaran Stratagem and Doctor's Daughter, from Doctor Who. Something Borrowed and Exit Wounds from from Torchwod and Stolen Earth/Journeys End from Doctor Who. Then of course there'll be my oringinal stuff and lots of cute Jack/Lily stuff.**

**Let me know if there's anything else you really want to see, and what you think of what's planned.**

Chapter Five

A week later, Lily and Jack were laying in bed one night. It was the early hours of the morning, and they'd had a fairly quiet paperwork day, which they'd ended up lying in bed together, just talking.

Lily felt a little more comfortable being close to Jack now, and her fears from the Year That Never Was were slowly fading away, thanks to Jack being so supportive and caring.

As a time lord, Lily didn't need much sleep - though she liked to sleep -, and Jack found that he didn't need much sleep either now he was immortal. Jack was laying on his back, one arm around Lily and she laid curled up against him with her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

" Tell me another story," Lily said, with a contented smile.

Jack grinned, loving to show off and tell her some of his stories, every bit as much as she liked to tell him some of the things she'd done. He agreed and had launched into another story, absent mindedly playing with her hair as he did so, when the phone rang.

Jack had one phone in his office, and a phone linked to the same line on the desk in the bedroom, in case anyone rang at an indecent time. Lily groaned at the sound of it, knowing it wouldn't be someone calling up for a chat.

" Better get that," Jack said when they'd let it ring a couple of times already.

Lily sighed, " I'll get it," she muttered, though she wasn't willing to. She sighed and threw the covers back, half climbing over Jack as she went for the desk. Jack wolf-whistled at her, since she was only wearing her underwear and one of his shirts, which she seemed to have claimed as her own.

She supressed a smirk before grabbing the phone and holding it to her ear, " Hello, office of Captain Jack Harkness .... yeah, I'm one of his employees .... yeah, you can leave the message with me - who is this anyway? " Her face fell when she heard the police on the other end. She listened with a pout and rolled her eyes at Jack, pulling faces at the man on the phone, until she started listening and realised it was serious.

The call didn't last long and when it was done, she put the phone down and sighed. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at Jack, " Police," she said, " we're going to have to investigate. "

Jack groaned, leaning back against the pillow, " Someone had better be in _serious_ trouble to drag me about of bed. "

Lily shrugged, heading for the wardrobe. When she stood in front of the open wardrobe, she turned back to look at Jack and then looked down at the shirt she was wearing, " Oh dear, I suppose I'd better take this off. "

As her fingers reached the first button, Jack sat up a little, a slow grin crossing his face.

She looked at him and rolled her eyes, reaching into the wardrobe, grabbing his military jacket and throwing it at him, covering his face.

***

They rung the rest of the team up and had them meet them at the hub - the team were used to having to go places with very little notice, and it didn't bother them. Lily was less used to it in this capacity with the police but was used to running around and doing all sorts, so it wasn't difficult to do, if annoying.

They were at the scene very quickly, slamming the SUV doors and heading towards the crime scene, which was a normal house in a house full of streets.

Lily looked around at them all as they rushed to the house, " It was me who spoke to the police," she said, " Two IC1 males - one fatality, one seriously wounded after a fall from the 5th floor window. "

At the path of the house, paramedics were fussing over a man on a stretcher. As the stetcher passed them, it revealed a man with serious wounds where he'd fallen. Lily winced when she saw him, and moved forwards, trying to look at him. Owen beat her to it, and was right beside the stretcher.

" Gwen, Owen, go with him to the hospital, wait with him and see if he says anything. Interview the husband and wife who lives here, while you're at it," Jack commanded," Tosh, you and I are looking around this place. Lily - "

He let it hang, waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do, and she nodded," I want to look around here too. The dead body's still in there, right? Maybe I could take a look. And we should see what the police think about it. "

Jack nodded and they went inside the building cautiously.

A police officer led them into the bedroom, where Tosh went to inspect the window with her scanner, and Jack spoke to the officer. Lily saw the body lying in the middle of the floor.

The man was lying flat on his back, a sharp stab wound in his stomach, and blood covering his pale shirt. She grimaced at the sight of him, but moved closer to the body to look at it, and then looked around the rest of the room, trying to locate a weapon. There was a blood covered cricket bat, but that couldn't be the weapon, she was sure of it.

" Bit weird this one," the officer said to Jack, as Lily watched from a short way off, still scanning the room with her eyes, " might be one of your cases. Nobody saw anything or heard anything. Blah, blah, blah. The usual. Don't know why we bother asking anymore. "

" Thanks," Jack nodded, " we'll take it from here. "

The officer was about to leave when he turned back and said, " In my opinion, the husband did it. He was looking for trouble, expecting to be burgled. "

Lily looked at him quickly, trying to piece things together, " Really? " she asked, " what makes you say that? "

" Yeah," the officer nodded, " there's no other reason I can think of for having sports equipment in the bedroom. "

" Oh, I don't know," Jack shrugged, " you should come around to mine, for a game of hockey sometime. "

The officer gave him a slightly strange look and then left the room. When he was gone Lily turned to Jack with raised eyebrows, amused by him, " Hockey? Not in _my _bedroom, and certainly not with that guy. He wasn't even good looking. "

Jack smirked at her, " One, it's our bedroom, not yours, and two, who cares what he looks like, he was a uniform. "

Lily rolled her eyes, amused by Jack's flirting with everything, since she knew he only really wanted her. " I think we should get back to this," she said after a moment.

Tosh crossed the room from the window and announced, " No glass inside, so it was definitley broken out. "

Lily nodded, noting this, and looked down at the body as Jack said, " The police say the wound was caused by some sort of long, narrow blade. "

Lily frowned as she looked around the room again, " Yeah," she said, " but what about this cricket bat - there's no way that could have caused this wound. Nothing in this room could have caused it, so what did? They told me on the phone that the husband was unconscious when they got here and the wife's a skinny thing. "

Tosh sighed, " I can't see either of them having done it. "

Jack simply shook his head, " You'd be suprised what you can do when you fear for your life. "

" I don't know," Lily said," it seems a bit suspect, doesn't it? There has to be something else to it. "

Jack nodded, " How about we get back to the hub? I'll find out what Gwen and Owen are doing, and we can piece it together from there. "

Lily sighed as she took a last look at the dead body lying mangled on the floor, and then turned away, wishing she knew how this had happened, and how they could solve it quickly but properly. She, Jack and Tosh made their way back to the SUV and when they were there, Jack took the drivers seat.

Lily got in the passengers side and Toshiko in the back. Jack started up the engine and looked at Lily, " Give Owen a ring, would you? See what's going on? "

Lily rolled her eyes - she'd been issused with her own comm for her ear, so they could talk hands free, so she knew Jack could talk to them whilst he drove, but he'd rather leave it to her. She smiled a little and then touched her earpiece, moving her hair out of the way.

" Yeah? " Owen's voice came from the other end.

" Owen, it's Lily," Lily said as Jack started driving, " how's it going? "

" Well, I checked the pair of them for blood but neither of them tested positive. There's nothing. "

Lily sighed, " Oh, typical. We didn't have much luck - we've no murder weapon. The stab wound couldn't have been caused by anything else in the room. Isn't there anything else you can give us? "

" If you ask me, the wife did it," Owen replied, " think about it - they're all in the room together, husband's out cold, and somehow she survive while two burgulars get mangled. She must have done it. "

" Yeah, how? " Lily asked - she also thought the wife might be a likely suspect, but it didn't seem to fit - not when the wife couldn't possibly have that strength.

" I haven't got that far," Owen told her, to which she laughed a little, making Jack look sideways at her, wanting ot know what was going on. Owen continued," I can't see it being the husband anyway - not unless he killed one man, wearing gloves, then swallowed the murder weapon and the gloves and knocked himself out. "

" Cheers, Doctor sarcasm," Lily said, " hold on a minute. " She looked over at Jack and conveyed him half a story, " Owen's got nothing - no blood on them. Reckons it was the wife, unlikely to be the husband, but doesn't really know. What do you want him to do? "

When Jack had given Lily the asnwer quickly, eyes on the road as he just made it through the traffic lights before they turned red, Lily tapped her earpiece again.

" Owen? Yeah, Jack says you and Gwen should stay there to get word from the burgular for as long as it takes, and keep an eye on the man and the woman. "

She heard Owen sigh and then he said, " Thanks, spacegirl. See you in a bit. "

***

When they were back at the hub, Jack went straight to his office to think things through (but not before giving Lily a kiss), while Tosh started body scans of the murdered man, and Lily filled Ianto in on the what had happened.

Sometimes when she spoke to Ianto she couldn't help but think he seemed a bit off with her, though she could think of no reason to be, and she could see him trying to cover it up.

" Gwen and Owen should be in touch soon," she said, as they stood in the kitchen, Ianto finishing making a coffee for those left in the hub, " not much we can do until then. "

Ianto turned around and handed her her mug, and she grinned, " Thanks. " She then looked at Jack's favourite blue cup and said, " I'll take Jack's in for him. "

Ianto smiled in a sort of strained way, " It's no bother, I can do it. "

Lily shrugged," I was going to go in there anyway .... "

Ianto nodded and handed her Jack's cup too, though he didn't seem too happy about it. Lily smiled at him a little and then went for Jack's office. When she got there, she didn't both knocking on the door, and kicked it open with her foot, being careful not to spill any of the hot coffee.

Jack looked up from his desk and grinned when he saw her, " You know," he said casually as she walked towards him and put the mug down on his desk, " you're getting more beautiful every time I see you. "

Lily shook her head at him, bringing her cup to her lips, " You're a liar, Captain, but you do it so well. "

He threw her a wink and then she sat on the edge of his desk. She watched him take a drink, eyes taking in every inch of his face, and when he lowered his cup at her, he frowned, " What? "

She just shook her head, cursing herself for being caught in the act of staring at him. She was about to answer him when Jack's comm beeped, and he put his hand to it.

" Yeah? "

Lily watched carefully, only hearing one side of the conversation. Jack was saying, " Yeah .... he said that? .... looks like this just got more interesting .... yeah .... definitley, we're going to have to get her in ... alright then. "

" What's going on? " Lily asked when Jack was done.

" That was Gwen," Jack said," she and Owen were with the burglar when he came around. He didn't say much, because the nurses were rushing around him, but he said " Keep her away from me. The woman in the flat." He's .... he's just died. I told Gwen they need to bring the wife back here. We're going to have to interrogate her. "

" We _do_ that? " Lily asked, suprised.

" Rarely," Jack said, his face grave, " but when it's serious, we don't have a choice. "

Lily ran a hand through her hair, " Jesus," she muttered, " another one dead. Can I watch when you talk to her? "

Jack stood up. He considered this, but then shook his head, " No. Well ... you can watch through the glass. I showed you the interrogation room, right? And the glass you can observe through? "

She nodded, but then frowned, " Why can't I be in the room? "

Jack stepped forwards and took her hand, " I ... well, you can if you want, but ... " he stopped and rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand, the look on his face serious, " I tend to lose my temper sometimes. You haven't seen it yet, because I'd never want to get angry around you - I don't want you to see me like that. If you have to watch at all, then you do it from behind the glass. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " But the rest of the team can be in the room? "

Jack shook his head at her before leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead, " I don't love them as much as I love you," he said.

***

When Gwen and Owen got back, Jack forced the terrified woman from the flat - a dark skinned woman named Beth - into the interrogation room, with himself and Gwen, since Gwen seemed to have formed a bond of trust with the woman.

Ianto, Owen and Lily watched from behind the observation window. Lily stood with her arms folded over her chest, waiting nervously for it to start. She wanted to know what was going on, and how to get to the bottom of it, but she wasn't comfortable with the way Jack was dealing with it.

He'd sat Beth down at a grimy table, with her hands tied in front of her, on the desk. Lily strongly disagreed with it, but she was slightly comforted by the fact that she knew Gwen wouldn't stand for it - she knew Gwen wouldn't let him go too far, and if it _was _going to, she was going to go in there and intervene.

" Tell me everything," said Jack.

" Where am I? " a scared looking Beth asked," where's my husband? "

" He's safe," Jack replied simply.

" What do you mean "safe"? " Beth asked, worried," what have you done with him? "

" Nothing yet," Jack told her, before leaning in, laying his hands flat on the table as he leaned towards her, menacingly. Lily winced at the sight, with her hand near her mouth, and bit down on her fingernail.

She watched as Jack said in his most dangerous voice, " Tell me what happened in the flat, Beth. It had to be you or Mike, so how did you do it? "

Beth shook her head, replying," You can't treat people like this. I've been burgled - attacked! I want a lawyer, and I want a phone call. If you're charging me with something ... "

" We're not charging you with anything," Jack cut across her sharply before taking a breath and continuing, " we don't have to. And there'll be no lawyer, no phone calls, just us, and this room, for as long as it takes. Now tell me what happened! "

The last raise in Jack's voice made Lily jump a little - she knew Jack wanted to get to the bottom of it, because they all did, but she thought it was excessive, and there was no need to scare the poor woman like that. She glanced towards the door, tempted to go in there and make him stop, but she held on.

" Please," Beth said, " I don't know anything. " Lily felt sorry for her, and wanted to help. She bit down harder on her nail, hating seeing the way Jack could scare someone this much - it was something she hadn't seen in him before.

Jack was glaring at Beth again, " The second man just died from his injuries," he said, " Keep her away from me, the woman in the flat. Those were his dying words. Now why would he say a thing like that? "

" I don't know, " Beth said, " I swear I never touched him. "

" Is it Mike? " demanded Jack, banging his hand down on the table, " are you covering for him?! "

Lily flinched again at the harsh sound of Jack's shout and turned away - she couldn't bear to see him treat someone like that for much longer, and she hated seeing the fear on Beth's face. She turned her back on the scene, and looked down at the floor.

Behind her, she could hear Jack shouting at Beth again. " Tell me! " he yelled.

" Hey," Owen said, also turning around to look at her, at the same moment that the power surged, and all the lights flickered out. " you alright? "

Lily shrugged, turning back around to see Jack storming out of the room. She vaguely wondered about the lights, but was more focused on Jack and Beth. She decided to leave before Jack could get to the observation window.

She made for the door but was trying to leave at the same time Jack opened the door and came in.

" Hey baby," he said, trying to raise her smile, though he couldn't quite manage one.

She scoffed and narrowed her eyes at him, " Don't," she said, with a shake of her head, " how could you treat Beth like that? She's a human being, Jack, for God's sake! "

He shrugged, " I needed answers - it's what I've got to do sometimes. "

" No you don't! " Lily said, " don't you get it? You terrified her, Jack, and there could have been another way to get her to talk. You shouldn't have done that. "

" Look," he said, as Owen and Ianto watched a little uncomfortably, this first argument between Jack and Lily, " I did what I thought would get answers. It might not be what you agree with, but it's how I wanted to handle it, and when it comes down to it, I'm in charge. "

Lily continued to glare at him, so annoyed, " You're right," she said, " it's _not _what I agree with. There's always got to be another way - you don't have to hurt people, and scare them. That's not the way to do things. "

" I'm sorry," Jack said, as Lily started walking away from him, though he just followed her, " but I told you that you might not like what happened, and you chose to watch. "

" Because I wasn't expecting that to happen! " she said as they crossed the hub, stopping and whirling around to face him, " I've never seen you like that Jack, and d'you know how that make me feel? "

He said nothing, looking down a little guiltily, though he met her eyes again, determined that his methods were right for this situation.

Lily continued, " It made me feel like an idiot! Because I thought I knew you so well, and then you go and start all this scary, bullying, interrogation thing. I've never seen you like that, and I don't care to see it again - not when it's a human, who doesn't deserve it! "

" Lily," Jack said, " It was right for - "

" No," she said, cutting him off, " why don't you just go torture a few more humans? "

He stared after her as she walked away from him. Lily walked away not even sure where she was going. She stopped at the doors to the hub, and turned aroud to lean against them, thinking about it. She knew Jack was doing what he really thought was best, but it wasn't the best way - there wasd no need to do that, she felt.

As she stood there, Tosh wandered over to her.

" Hey," she said with a little smile, " are you alright? "

Lily tried to smile in return - she liked Tosh, because she was easy to get on with and she was quite easygoing, whereas Gwen irritated her too much. " Sort of," she replied, " I just don't agree with how he's handling it. It's wrong ... I didn't know he could be like this. The only other time I saw him like this was when there was someone who really hurt me - Jack kept on hitting him - I thought he was going to beat him to death. But he deserved it. Beth doesn't. "

" We're running some tests on her," Tosh said, " there's an electro-magnetic build up around her, so we've got to investigate her. "

Lily nodded, deciding she wanted to see this - she had to make sure that Jack didn't go too far. She went back with Tosh, to the autopsybay, and when she got there, Beth was strapped into a chair, while Owen stood nearby with a syringe.

Ianto, Gwen and Jack were standing on the outskirts of the room. Lily came down the stairs, not looking at Jack as she did so, though she could feel his eyes on hers.

She watched as Owen held up the syringe, " We'll start with a blood test - nothing to worry about, just a little needle. "

Owen tried to inject her arm, only for the needle to snap. Lily stared at it, shaking her head, " That can't be right," she said suspiciously.

Owen picked up another syringe, and the moment that hit the skin, it broke too. He frowned and then changed his tactics, going for a scalpel, while Beth protested. One again, the moment it touched her skin, the sharp metal tip broke off.

" When was the last time you were in hospital? " he asked her.

" I - I don't remember," Beth said, " I don't think I ever have. Why, what's wrong with me? "

Owen frowned, " When was the last time you felt ill? Had a cold? Anything? "

" I don't think I ever have," Beth answered, making Lily's mind whir as she tried to figure it out, " I take lot of vitamin C. "

" Yeah, a hell of a lot, I reckon," Owen muttered.

Jack frowned, taking a step closer to Beth, " Okay, you make light builbs blow and we can't break your skin - what planet are you from? "

" Earth," came Beth's answer.

" Stop wasting our time, you're an alien! " Jack snapped.

" There's no such things as aliens," Beth said.

" There is," Lily said, stepping forwards and shooting Jack a quick look to make him be quiet and let her handle it, " I'm an alien. " When Beth stared at her, Lily shrugged, " What? I am. Aliens exist. "

Beth shook her head," You're ... you're crazy. How can you be an alien? You're human, just like me. "

" No," Lily said, shaking her head, hoping she could reason with Beth and get her to open up, " I look human, but I'm not. And we think that's what you are. Aliens exist Beth, and I'll prove it. " She looked at Owen, " a little help? "

Owen frowned at her, trying to think of the easiest way to prove it, and then grabbed a stethoscope. Lily moved forwards and Owen put the stethoscope to his ear, and then put the other end to Lily's chest, while Jack looked on carefully.

" One heartbeat there," he said, looking at Beth and then moving the part to the other side of Lily's chest, " and another heartbeat there. Trust me, I'm a Doctor. " He tossed the stethoscope aside, " she's got two heartbeats - she's an alien. "

" And so are you, aren't you? " Lily asked gently, " you've got to tell us. "

" I'm not," Beth said, " I work in an office and ... "

" Why do you give off electromagnetic waves? Why? " Jack demanded harshly, making Lily roll her eyes, as she'd been going for the nice approach.

" I don't know," Beth said, starting to sob, " Stop it! Why are you doing this? I want Mike ... I want to go home. How can I prove to you that I'm not an alien? "

Jack stopped, thoughtful.

Lily noticed the sudden spark in Jack's eyes and shook her head, fearing whatever he had planned, " Jack," she said, " whatever it is .... don't. "

He turned to look at her and shook his head, " I'm doing what I think is best. Gwen, get Beth out of here until I need her again. Ianto, Owen, with me to get what we need. "

Lily sighed in frustration as he walked away and ran a hand through her hair, trying to think of what Beth could be - she had to be some sort of alien, but she was so adamant she was human. Lily felt certain that Beth wasn't lying to them, which meant something had invaded her.

" You ever seen anything like this? " Tosh asked, " I mean, I bet you must have seen some pretty amazing things. "

Lily nodded, " I've seen all sorts, but I can't quite put my finger on this. "

" What was the most amazing thing you ever did? " Tosh asked.

Lily thought about it and then shrugged, " There's been lots of things. Ask me later, and I'll come up with something. "

At that moment, Lily's attention was caught by Ianto wheeling a chair into the room, while Owen carried a handful of wires and Jack followed, carrying a box. Lily watched as Ianto and Owen started to set up the chair and when Jack lifted the lid off the box to reveal a metal helmet, she shook her head.

" Tell me that's not a mind probe," she said, looking at him, " or at least tell me it it's safe. "

" You said we weren't allowed to use that again," Tosh added, accusingly.

" Yeah, remember the last time you used it? " piped up Ianto while trying to set it up.

" That was different," Jack said, " that species had a very high blood pressure. "

" Oh right," Ianto deadpanned, " their heads must explode all the time. "

Lily's eyed widened and she stared from Jack to the chair, and back at Jack. " This could be dangerous," she told him quietly, " I wanna know what she is just as much as you do, but there's a tiny chance she's human, and if she is, this could kill her. "

" Lily," Jack said, looking at her, " when have I _ever _given you reason not to trust me? You might not like it, but it's the only way I can think of to get the results. " When he saw the look on his girlfriend's face and realised she'd given in, he turned away and called for Gwen to bring Beth up.

" Not too tight is it? " Tosh asked Beth once she was sat down and strapped into the chair, the helmet on her head.

" It's fine," she said, before looking at Gwen, who she seemed to have formed a bond with, " are you sure this is safe? "

Gwen smiled stiffly and answered, " Yes," while Ianto offered Beth a glass of water.

Owen was setting the helmet up. At Jack's nod he put it on Beth's head, where it started to hum. Lily was standing beside Jack, looking up at him, hoping he wasn't going to go too far. It was unfair, she felt, since Beth was terrified and didn't seem to know anything, but she accepted that there was no other way to go about it now.

Jack folded his arms over his chest and told Beth, " The probe drills through your consciousness so if there's anything hidden, we'll find it. "

" Will it hurt? " Beth asked.

" Yeah," Jack replied simply.

" Your besides manner's rubbish," Beth told him, causing Lily to frown - she only sayw Jack as being so caring and sweet - it was different seeing him at work.

Gwen laughed and started to ramble nervously, " Oh, you should see his manner's in bed. They're atrocious, so I've heard. "

" Oh, they are," Ianto said, causing Lily to stare at him suddenly, " I remember this one time ... "

He was cut off by Jack clearing his throat loudly, trying to make him shut up. But Lily had heard enough - she looked from Ianto to Jack, slightly open mouthed. She had thought Ianto seemed a bit jealous of her, and he acted oddly towards her, but she hasn't realised it was because he'd been with Jack.

She wondered how serious it was between them. How far they'd gone. They'd obviously slept together from what Ianto said, and Lily wondered how many other people Jack had been with - after all, he'd been on Earth a very long time

" Lily," Jack said quietly, looking at her, but she shook her head, signalling that she didn't want to hear it. Jack hadn't wanted her to know he'd been with other people in her absence - he knew he was within his rights to, since they were seperated at the time, but it had still always felt disloyal, and he always felt guilty. He'd hoped to protect her by keeping it secret - it was the past now.

Lily shook her head and stared straight ahead.

Jack sighed and started the mind probe.

Lily wasn't really paying much attention as it went on. She watched half-heartedly as the probe started, Tosh and Owen controlling it while Jack asked her questions between worried glances at Lily. Lily was barely paying attention as it all happened.

She watched Jack question her, getting no answer. She watched Beth cry out in pain and heard the others protests that it was getting dangerous, and saw Jack carry on anyway.

She didn't even have the energy to pay enough attention, or to intervene. All she could picture was Jack, with Ianto. In bed. Then she wondered who else he'd been with - after all, Jack was a flirt and could probably get anyone he wanted. Had he been with anyone else from the team? Had he been in any serious? Been married? Did he have a child?

She knew that Jack was allowed to be with other people, since technically they'd been split up, and he'd known from the pyschic girl that it would be two centuries before he and Lily were reunited. She knew she couldn't expect him to be alone all that time, but it didn't feel right. She could only see Jack as being hers, and it was awful to think he'd been with other people after her, even though he knew she was alive and out there somewhere.

Her attention was only caught when the lights started flickering.

" What's going on? " she asked, the dull gaze disappearing from her eyes

" Electromagnetic force is off the scale," Tosh replied from the computer.

" I don't think she can take much more," Owen said quietly.

" We've got to stop this," Lily said, starting to feel sorry for Beth again - she was just a poor young woman, being terrorised because she was different.

A second later, Beth slumped forwards in her seat and passed out, all the lights flickering out. The team all stood completely still and turned to look at Jack, who was staring at Beth. Lily briefly wondered if they'd killed her, and glared at Jack, but then Beth sat bolt upright.

Lily watched in horror as she turned her right arm, palm facing upwards, and then her arm morphed into something else. It was dangerous looking and Lily recognised it immediately, her eyes widening. It was puckered looking and had a flashing red light.

She took a step forwards - she'd seen it before, though when she'd seen it, there was only one, and they'd put and end to the case quickly.

" You know what it is? " Jack asked, looking at her.

She nodded wordlessly, without looking at him, and he reached forwards and grabbed her arm quite forcefully, stopping her going any further. She turned to look up at him, but he didn't let go of her, determined to hold his ground.

" I wouldn't get too close to it," he said.

She scoffed, " Yeah, whatever. Aren't you more interested in what _Ianto's _doing? Or however many others there are? "

His face turned to fury - he understood that she could be mad, but it wasn't as if he was still seeing other people- and he shook his head, " That's out of order. Since I've had you back in my life, I've barely looked at anyone else, let alone gone anywhere near them. Have I ever given you reason to doubt my love for you in the past? Haven't I always been there for you? Always loved you no matter what? "

She shook her head, " Yeah, but - "

" I think we should focus on this," Gwen said, clearing her throat. Lily scoffed and threw a glare at the woman, and couldn't help but wonder what her problem was - surely she hadn't been with Jack too?

There was a pause, before Lily managed to catch herself and said, " I've seen these before. It's a buried compartment - locked away. Beth couldn't possibly have known about it. She thinks she human. "

" Who are you? " Jack asked, and Lily got the feeling that he knew what it was too.

The answer was a few words in an alien language. Lily knew it wasn't English, but she understood it perfectly because she'd spent so much time living in the TARDIS. Even if she hadn't been there in a week or so, it could still translate for her because she'd spent so long there.

" Where are you from? " Jack asked.

He got the same answer, in the alien language, and the others all exchanged confused looks, while Tosh started to dig around for her scanner.

" How do you like my boots? " Jack asked.

The same answer again.

" What's it saying? " Owen frowned.

" Name, rank, serial number," Lily said.

" How do you know that? " Tosh asked, suprised, not even having found her scanner yet.

Lily shrugged modestly, " I must have forgot to mention - the TARDIS - our spaceship - can translate any language for us. Sort of gets inside my head, so I can understand the language everywhere I go. Comes in handy but that's not the important thing right now ... "

" Switch the probe off," demanded Jack.

When it was turned off, Beth's arm quickly morphed back to normal, and after a couple of seconds, Beth woke up and started to breathe deeply. Owen removed the helmet from her head and the rest of the team stared at her, wary

" Boy, you weren't lying when you said that hurt," Beth said, shaking her head, " that really hurt! Did you find anything? "

They all exchanged uncomfortable looks, not knowing what to do, and then Jack commanded wen to take Beth and put her in one of the cells. Lily's worries about treating Beth harshly were now gone - Beth was dangerous, even if she didn't know it. One day she'd turn into something that could kill them all.

While Gwen took Beth down to the cells, the others went through to the conference room. They all sat around the table in silence. Jack kept sending Lily concerned looks, but she could barely bring herself to look at him, and she certainly couldn't look at Ianto properly, imagining the two of them together. Owen just sighed at the tense atmosphere, while Ianto sat there feeling a little guilty and Tosh felt conerned for Lily, who she'd come to regard as a friend in the short time thye'd known each other.

" Look, Lily," Jack started after a few minutes, " I - "

He was cut off by a mobile phone ringing. He looked around at everyone, and it was Lily who dug her hands in her pockets and pulled out her phone - she'd not got many numbers in her phone book and she grinned at the name there.

" _Dad" _was on the screen and the grinned as she flicked it up - this would be the first time she'd spoken to him since they parted a week ago.

" Hello? " she said, answering it with a huge smile.

" Hey Lils," came his voice from the other end, making her smile even more, the rest of the team watching her in confusion, " how are you? "

Her smile faltered for a moment, but she decided not to let him know anything was wrong - she was sure they could handle this thing, and it wasn't worth troubling him with her problems with Jack. " Yeah, I'm alright," she replied, " suprised to get a call from you, though. Surely you should be off saving the world? "

" I thought I'd better check in," the Doctor replied, " we just got back to the TARDIS and realised there was a missed call from you. "

" That was three days ago," she said, " I called you three days ago and ... hey, who's we? " she asked, " I thought Martha went back to her family? In fact, I know she did, because she's already emailed me. "

" You know me, I found someone else," he said, " I was in London - I'd been on the Titanic - "

" Seriously? " she laughed, " we've been loads of times! "

" But it's fun," he replied, " so I was in London, when I ran into someone. A certain Donna Noble. Said she regretted not coming with us before - which she should, because I'm brilliant, right? - so she wasn't taking no for an answer. Practically jumped straight into the TARDIS. "

" You're kidding? " Lily laughed, " Donna? Oh, that's brilliant! I loved her! "

The Doctor laughed, " She's certainly a character. Listen, I had somewhere in mind to take Donna, but that can wait. How about we come and visit you? How long has it been for you since I left you, anyway? "

" A week," she said.

He nodded, " Oh, right," she heard him say," so you must just be settling in? "

" Yeah," she replied, " it's so weird being here. I love it, but I sort of miss you. We need to talk more often. "

" I'll come and visit very soon," he said, " in fact, remind me of the date where you are now, and I'll come and see you. "

She looked over at the rest of the team, who were watching curiously, and then remembered their current situation, " Maybe not right now," she said, " we're dealing with something ... how about I give you a ring again soon, and we can talk properly when I've got more time. "

" Busy? " the Doctor asked her, " well, be careful. And I hope Jack's looking after you. "

She glanced at Jack, who was watching her carefully, and then mumbled, " Yeah, yeah he is. "

" Then I'll see you soon," the Doctor said.

Lily sighed, wishing she could talk to him for longer, but Gwen was coming back into the room and they were going to have to think about dealing with this, " Yeah, you will. And you be careful too. Where are you taking her? "

" I was thinking Pompeii," the Doctor said.

" That's a good one," Lily said, " and you should definitley go to see Agatha Christie. In fact, no, don't go there, because I've always wanted to meet her. I mean, yeah, go there, but not until you come back to take me on a trip. Ooh, you should take Donna to see Will, she'd love him. "

The Doctor sighed, " I think we've seen enough of Mr Shakespeare to last us long enough, darling. "

" I suppose," Lily said, " but oh well, give my regards to whoever you end up seeing. "

" I will," the Doctor said," see you soon. "

" Yeah, love you Dad," she said.

" Love you," he said, " take care. "

She left the phone call and stuffed her phone back in her pocket.

" What did your dad want? " asked Jack.

" To catch up with his only child," Lily said, rolling her eyes at him, " what else do you think he wanted? Says he hopes you're taking care of me. He wanted to come and visit, but I said I'd ring him when we weren't busy. Though, knowing my luck, when we're not busy, he will be. He says he'll come and see me soon though. " She ended with a sigh - it was hard adjusting to a new life.

Jack wanted to reach out and hug her, but he didn't think she'd appreciate it right now, so instead he looked around at the rest of them team and tried to focus on their current situation, " She's a Sleeper agent," he said, " It all clicked into place when I saw the implant. "

" A sleeper agent? " Owen asked, " who for? "

" No-one knows much about them," Lily said, her technical mind taking over, " I've only encountered one once, and we were lucky - there was one so it was solved quickly. But they don't tend to leave survivors - they're dangerous. They infiltrate planets, adapting their bodies, gathering intelligence for as long as it takes, until they're ready to take over. "

" Okay, that's creepy," Gwen muttered.

" But that's how it works," Lily shrugged.

" If we're lucky, she's the first," Jack said, while the others watched, amazed at the way Lily and Jack could talk so easily, switching between them, almost finishing each others sentences even when they were arguing.

" Yeah, because they send an advance guard to make them blend in," Lily said, " so Beth really has no idea she's not human. Her real self must have taken over briefly and killed the burgulars. "

" Self preservation," Jack finished.

" Told you she did it," Owen told Gwen quietly.

" The point is," Jack said, cutting off Owen, " by the time they attack, they know every single thing about this planet. This is serious. "

Lily stood up to talk to them all, " Tosh was going to run some scans on the implant, but I can tell you what I already know. The implant gathers information - she projects a false image but keeps all of this data stored inside. I should have know what she was when her skin couldn't be broken ... she's got a forcefield around her, creating an impervious layer around her skin. And as for the hub, she knows everything about this place. "

" What are we gonna do?" Gwen asked," what if there are more of them? "

Jack sighed and then said, " For a start, I think we should tell her. "

" I'll come," Gwen said.

Jack headed for the door and looked back at Lily. When she didn't meet his eyes, he left, leaving Owen, Tosh, Lily and Ianto sitting around the table. Lily sighed and looked around before also heading for the door, muttering something about getting a drink.

She went into the kitchen on her own and grabbed a glass, pouring herself a drink of water. She stood with her back to the door, leaning against the sink as she sipped it, trying to forget all about other people Jack might or might not have been with.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she jumped a little when the door opened. She turned around and frowned when she saw Ianto - Ianto was a perfectly decent man, and she got on with him other than his tendencies to give her strange looks (which she now realised could be jealousy.) and she didn't want to fall out with him, but she couldn't see him as anything other than in Jack's arms right now.

" I'm sorry," he said, after looking at her awkwardly.

She shook her head at him, " Look," she said, " I don't want to talk about it. I ... I just can't. "

She moved towards the door, but Ianto shook his head. He looked sorry and quite downcast, so she stopped and looked at him.

" Don't be mad at Jack," Ianto said, " he loves you, you know. "

" Yeah," she said, folding her arms," I know but it feels odd. "

Ianto paused before saying, " I knew about you. I knew that Jack was in love with you, because he told me, once he knew I'd already met you. I always knew Jack was in love with someone else, and it didn't matter what he said or what he did to anyone else, I knew he only loved this brilliant Lily. "

Lily bit her lip and then said, " When ... how ... what happened? "

Ianto paused again, feeling awkward, but knowing she deserved all the facts and then replied, " It started not long after I'd joined Torchwood. It was just flirting but I started to like him, and I realised I had feelings for him. The flirting became more and more, and one day we kissed. Then a few days later, it went further. Soon we were .... sort of ... together. "

Lily sighed - this wasn't what she wanted to hear, but she thought she was better off knowing, " Together? Like, officially? "

Ianto shook his head, " No. Jack and I always kept it a secret. It didn't mean anything to him, I know it. I was just there because he couldn't have you. "

" You think? " Lily asked.

Ianto nodded, " Definitley. I knew about other people he'd been with, and I know he did it because he was lonely. I don't think he could handle being on his own, so he tried to find a substitute, but it didn't work - he was always lonely. Then you came back last week, and I've never seen him happier. "

Lily sighed, " I know I couldn't expect him to be on his own for all that time, but I can only see him as being mine. It's ... " her eyes started to fill up with tears much to her own horror, " Jack's the only person I've ever loved. I mean, really loved. Sometimes, I think he's so perfect for me, it's unbelieveable. And ... and he's ... "

She sniffed, and wiped away the tear that formed in the corner of her eye before it could spill, shaking her head, " I'm sorry, I know this is stupid ... it's not like he's cheated on me or anything ... I just ... "

Ianto smiled at her a little, " It's fine," he said, " I'm the one who should be sorry. Jack's clearly made for you, and you're made for each other. I should have known better than to get involved with him when he loved someone else. And I certainly won't be going anywhere near him now he's got you again. I think that's all he ever wanted. I ... I'm sorry. "

Lily paused and then shook her head, " God, look at the pair of us. Don't be sorry for falling for him. " She stopped and laughed a little, " he's pretty irresistable, isn't he? "

Ianto blushed a little and shared Lily's smile. Lily bit her lip and then started laughing properly, much to Ianto's bewilderment. " This is ridiculous," she said, shaking her head, " look, let's put this behind us, yeah? "

Ianto nodded, with a chuckle, " Yeah. I always knew I was only there because he didn't have you. Let's ... maybe we could ... "

" Draw a line under it," Lily nodded, " who knows - we might even be friends? "

Ianto nodded before asking, " Are you going to stay mad at Jack? "

Lily sighed, " I ... I don't know. I don't think I could. I just feel a bit cheated - I wish he'd told me there'd been other people, rather than it being a shock to me. " She shrugged, " never mind that now. Jack and me will be fine. "

The door flew open, and Jack stood there. He looked suprised to see Ianto and Lily together. he gave them a strange look before telling them, " It's Beth ... we thought the only solution was to freeze her, in case we find a way to sort her implant out in the future. Unless you have any better ideas, Lily? "

Lily thought about it - it seemed the best option. She shook her head, " No. The time me and Dad met one, it resulted in the sleeper agent dying. I think ... yeah, you're right. Freeze her. "

Jack nodded and then left the room. Lily shrugged and then followed him out of the room, followed by Ianto.

They ended up in the autopsy bay and medical area, where Owen was preparing one of the cryogenic chambers, while Beth laid on a table, Gwen beside her, and Tosh watching.

" Promise me something," Beth said, as Lily came to stand next to Jack, leaning against the railings at the top of the entryway to the medical bay. " If you can't figure out how to keep me human then don't wake me up. Turn the machine off. "

" I can't make that promise," said Gwen sadly.

" Okay," Beth said, looking past Gwen and at Jack, " I bet you can. "

Jack simply nodded curtly, " You have my word," he said, crossing his arms in front of himself. Lily felt a bit upset at the way Jack could so easily promise her he'd kill her, but it seemed like the only option, so she had nothing to say.

Tosh walked up to Beth, holding up her scanner, " I'm going to hit the transciever with an EM pulse. "

" You won't feel anything," Gwen said quietly.

" After that, we'll sedate you, and then freeze you," Owen told her.

" Just like going to sleep," Gwen promised her

" Only colder," Owen added, making Lily roll her eyes a little.

" Bye Gwen," Beth said.

Gwen smiled sadly as Lily looked on, trying not to be too affected by it. She watched as Tosh ran the device up Beth's arm, a green light glowing from it. When Tosh pronounced it done, Owen injected Beth's leg.

Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair, and then turned away. Jack turned around too and looked at her, before sighing and walking away. He was heading for his office, and Lily watched him go. She waited a few moments, and then followed after him, aware of the rest of the team behind her, also leaving the medical area.

Lily stopped outside the closed door to Jack's office. She took a breath before laying a hand on the handle and pushing it open. He didn't even look up from his paperwork until she'd walked forwards and was right in front of his desk.

There was a pause during which neither of them said anything until finally Jack put his pen down and looked up at her, " Oh," he said, " so you're talking to me now? "

lily bit her lip and then sat down on the edge of his desk, " Look, I know you didn't really do anything wrong. You ... you spent a lot of time on your own and I need to accept that. I know I can't expect you to spend all that time on your own, it's just a bit of a shock for me. " She stopped and then looked him in the eye, " I know you love me. And I know we're perfect together. I could never doubt that. "

Jack reached out and took her hand slowly, closing his fingers around hers and then telling her, " I'm not proud, you know. But when we got seperated, I was a mess. I know you were too, but it was my way of dealing with things. I was lonely and I needed the company so I took it from anyone. It was never right though. No matter what I felt for them, I never felt for anyone like I felt for you. "

" I know," she said.

" I felt so guilty," he said, shaking his head.

" Don't," she said, also shaking her head, " it's the past now, right? You stood by me during the last year - the .. The ... _he _did awful things to me, and you're still with me. He could have ruined me, and he's messed me up, but you're still here. "

" I always will be," Jack said, tightening his grip on her hand.

She smiled and leaned in, pecking his lips - she knew she needed to accept that they past had happened, and there was no going back. But there was no point arguing, because Jack was with her now, and she wanted Jack more than anything else.

When she pulled away, she looked at him, " If I ask you something, will you answer it honestly? "

Jack sighed, not wanting to reply because he didn't want Lily to be mad or ashamed with him, but knowing they couldn't have any secrets.

" Please," she said, " I won't get mad. I just want to know. No more secrets, yeah? I know you were only trying to protect me, by not telling me, but .... don't. I want to know. How many people have there been? "

Jack sucked in a breath, not quite meeting her eyes before answering, " I .... I can't give you a number. I don't remember. "

Lily winced, not quite wanting that answer, but nodded and then said, " You were with Ianto, but what about the others here? Have you been with anyone else I'm likely to meet? Gwen? Tosh? "

He shook his head, " No. "

She nodded, " Is there anything else I need to know. "

He looked at her and then muttered, " I'm sorry, baby. I really am. I .... there was one woman, I almost married. Her name was Estelle. We met in World War Two, and we were together for a while. It didn't last though. " Lily was frowning and Jack sighed before continuing, " Then there was a woman I _did _marry. "

Lily almost let go of Jack's hand, not expecting this, but Jack held on tight.

He told her, " She was Lucia Moretti. Worked here at Torchwood with me. I got her pregnant, so we had to get married. The baby was born, and Lucia put her into protection when she was a couple of years old because of me. She said I was dangerous. Couldn't let the baby be around me. " He sighed, " Alice is 32 now, and she's got a son - Steven. He's 9. I see them sometimes, but ... not often. "

Lily stared at him, completely shocked, and didn't know what to say. She stared and shook her head, " You ... you got married. And had a kid. With someone else. "

He looked at her and saw the sad look on her face. She shook her head and tried to push the thoughts out of her head." I'm sorry," she said, " I just .... I always imagined me and you having this brilliant life. Getting married, having kids together eventually. But you've already done that with someone else. "

" No, baby," he said, squeezing her hand, " I might have gotten married, and I might have a daughter, but I never see her - hardly ever. And as for Lucia, the marriage was short. And I never loved her the way I loved you. Love you, I mean. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and you always will be. "

She nodded, saying nothing.

" I'll understand, you know," he said, " if this is all too much for you ... if you don't want ... "

" No," she said, " I'm not happy about it, but I love you. I just ... " she stopped and shook her head, " god this is hard to get my head around. So, you're .... " suddenly, she laughed, " you're a grandad! "

" Hey! " he said.

" Oh, my God, my boyfriend's a grandad! "

" Oi! " he said, shaking her head.

She smirked, " You're a grandad. God, you're old. "

" You're older! " he said, shaking his head.

She stuck her tounge out, " Yeah, but _you've _got a grandchild. "

" Stop saying that! " Jack said, pointing a warning finger at her.

She laughed, as Jack swatted at her, missing, and she giggled and got off the desk, moving out of his way. He moved towards her and she smiled, walking backwards, away from him. He grinned and chased towards her.

She opened the office door and left the office, still giggling, even though she was shocked and a little mad that he hadn't mentioned his family before. She knew they still had a lot to talk about, but she couldn't stay mad because this was Jack, and that was all she'd ever wanted.

When they were in the main area, the lights started flickering, and Lily and Jack both stopped messing about. Alarms started to blare, and everyone was suddenly on the alert.

" What the hell's going on? " demanded Jack.

Gwen was getting security footage up on her computer as everyone gathered around, and what she revealed shocked them all. " One of the vaults! " she said, " it's empty! "

" Yeah, we can see that," Lily muttered, as they all looked at the screen.

Jack poked his girlfriend's side and mumbled, " Behave," before asking, " what's happened? "

" Beth's gone," Gwen gasped.

" I thought she was frozen! " Lily said, " we just froze her! "

" Yeah," Owen said, " all of her vitals were at zero. "

" Checking systems, command history," said Tosh as she looked over her computer.

" What did she do? " Jack asked as he looked around, laying a hand on Lily's back as he strode past her, " did she put us into lockdown? "

" No, she just turned the lights off," replied Tosh, shaking her head.

" What is it with her and lightbulbs? " demanded Jack, looking around.

They got the lights back on, while Tosh was checking the monitors and suddenly called out, " She went through the tunnels. "

" Time to change the locks," Ianto said.

" She knows everything about this place,"Jack said, thoughtfully," it was all in her arm. The tunnel layout, security codes, everything. She could have done anything to us! Shut us down, blown us up, anything! "

" But she didn't," Lily pointed out, thinking. She suddenly snapped her fingers and shook her head, " Hang on, hang on, hang on. oh no - everything about her was a lie! All of her vital signs were false images. She can fool the equipment. God, how did we miss it? That was so thick of me! Thick, thick, thick. She fooled us. "

" So what's she doing now? " Tosh asked, while the others were shocked by the Lily-ramble, " did we activate her? "

" No," Jack said, as Lily also shook her head, " if she was activated, we'd all be dead. She has some other agenda. "

" I bet she's gone to see Mike," Gwen said, " I bet she wanted to say goodbye - if she's still human at the moment, I'm sure that's it. "

" Then we need to get there," Jack said, heading for the doors, before stopping and looking around at everyone, " the more of us that go, the more danger we're in if she turns. I'll go, the res of you stay here, where it's safe. "

" Since when have I stayed behind because it saw safe? " Lily scoffed, " I never stay out of danger! "

" And I want to come too," Gwen said," Beth trusts me, it'll be easier, Jack. "

Jack nodded at Gwen but looked at Lily, " I just want to look after you, baby. It's my job. I promised your dad I'd look after you and to be honest, I'm worried what he could do if he finds out I haven't looked after his little girl. Will you stay here with the others, _please? "_

Lily was relucant to do so, but agreed.

This left she, Tosh, Ianto and Owen behind in the hub.

The four of them stayed in the main area of the hub, waiting to find out where Beth was, and waiting to hear from Jack and Gwen. Lily stood by her desk, while Tosh sat behind her computers. Ianto and Tosh were muttering as Tosh tracked the SUV on the computers. Owen was standing beside Lily.

" So what d'you think about Jack and the teaboy? " he asked her, arms folded as he smirked.

She looked at him, hardly believing he'd just asked her that, " I'll get over it. "

" Doesn't it bother you? " he probed.

She shrugged, " Course it does, but there's nothing I can do about it. Jack .... Jack loves me, doesn't he? " She shrugged, " I don't know. None of it matters. "

" Yeah," Owen said, " but Jack .... and Ianto ... "

She rolled her eyes, " If you want to live to see your next birthday Owen, I strongly suggest you shut up. "

He sighed, " Have it your way, spacegirl. I'll leave it. " There was a brief pause before he sucked in a breath, looked around and said, " nice weather we're having, isn't it? "

Lily looked at him and rolled her eyes again.

It was a short while later when Jack's voice came over the ear comms, " It's all over," he said, so all those in the hub wearing their comms could hear, " we've got her and we're on our way. "

There wa a loud boom from his end of the comms and everything in the hub seemed to shake and shudder. Lily, who had never been particularly steady on her feet, stumbled a little and was stopped by a hand latching onto her arm and pulling her back upright.

Lily looked down at Owen's hand on her arm, " Nice reflexes," she told him.

Owen let go of her arm and shrugged, " You know, for a time travelling, super-alien thing, you're not half clumsy. "

Lily shrugged, but then remembered the situation and put a hand to her comms," Jack? " she demanded, " Jack, are you alright? "

" We're fine," he said, as Lily crossed the hub to join Ianto and Tosh at the computers and theyall heard Jack demand, " what the hell was that? "

" Petrol tanker," Tosh replied when she'd found what she was looking for, " looks like someone wanted to take out the M4 link road for - No! " she said, as they checked a map, " it's not a road, it's an underground fuel pipeline. " To those in the hub, she added, " it's a special fuel supply for the military. They use it in emergencies. "

" Not any more," Owen muttered, jogging down the steps to the medical bay and grabbing something from his fax machine, " got a report coming through! " he called, hurrying back up to them, " Patrick Grainger's been murdered. "

" Who?" Lily asked, not been up on the local important people yet.

" Leader of the council," Owen said, causing Lily's heart to sink, as he touched his comms " stabbed several times in the chest, and one in the forehead. Sound familiar? "

" Why would anyone want to kill him? " Gwen's voice came.

Ianto was across at his own workstation, and replied, " He's also the city's co-ordinator. Takes charge of the city in case of major emergencies. Has all the security protocols. "

" How do you know that? " asked Owen, raising his eyebrows.

" I know everything," Ianto shrugged, before pointing, " and it says so on the bottom of the screen. "

Lily had to smirk at that one, though her mind was whirring he she thought about everything that was going on. She was brought out of her thoughts when Jack yelled at them all, " Hey! It's happening! It's starting right now! "

" Bugger," Lily muttered, " Jack? Jack, can you hear me? "

All she heard was a massive feedback, and the others all winced at the sound. Tosh checked the computers and started fiddling about, and then told them that the phone network was done, and it wasn't going to work.

Lily sighed and ran hand through her hair, " He said it's starting - the cell must be activating. We don't know how many of them there are .... anything could be happening. "

Owen wasn't listening, and he pulled out his mobile phone, trying to dial it.

" No," Tosh said, shaking her head, " I told you. It's not going to work. "

" But you're a genius! " Owen cried, throwing one arm out, " can't you just hook something up? "

" No, I can't just hook something up! " Tosh excaimed while Lily watched with amusement - she loved Tosh and Owen together, they really made her laugh sometimes, " the entire telephone network is down. "

" What about mobile connection? " asked Owen.

Tosh said it louder and slower, " The entire telephone network is down. "

Ianto joined them from his workstation and spoke in that sarcastic deadpanned way of his, " Mobiles, landlines, tin cans with bits of string. Everything. Absolutely everything. No phones, phones all broken. " He held his hand up to his ear, " Hello? Anyone there? No. 'Cause the phones aren't working! "

" No need to be like that," Owed huffed, " what about we try ... "

" No! " Lily said, finally joining in," there is no way of getting in touch with Jack! No way! "

She was quickly proved wrong when there was a crackling noise and Jack's voice sounded over the nearby radio, " Tosh, Lily can you hear me? "

Lily rushed across the hub and snatched up the radio, " We're here," she said quickly, " we're here. What happened? It's active, right? What's the damage? "

Jack's answer, over the radio, was, " The cell is active. There's four of them, including Beth. Two are dead. We're tracking the last guy now. If we can get to him before he does anything, we can stop this. "

" What can I do? " Tosh asked as they all gathered around the radio.

" He's heading for an abandoned farm just outside the city - I need to know what's there. "

It didn't take them long to get a map up, and they were all staring at it, the four of them gathered around, all frowning as they looked at it.

" What the hell's going on? " demanded Owen, " there's nothing there. "

" Nothing on the surface," Lily corrected thoughtfully, " what do we know about this? There must be something ... Ianto, you know everything. "

" I can have a look," Ianto muttered.

He came back not three minutes later, reading a book as he walked, " This is as far back as it goes. There used to be a coal mine in the cliff. The army sealed it off in the 40s, but it doesn't say why. "

" I'll try and get into the military files," Tosh said, fingers tapping away at the keyboard at a ridiculous speed, cracking the codes almost instantly.

" It's almost obsence, what you do to security systems," Ianto told her.

Lily scoffed, " You should see some of the things my dad does. Brilliant. "

" Oh god," Tosh said, as she managed to get the contents of the file up.

" What is it? " Jack asked quickly.

Lily looked down at the radio and then at Tosh. Her throat tightened as Tosh answered, " The mineshift. The military are using it for storage. Nuclear warheads. Ten of them. Nobody's supposed to know, not even us. "

" That how it starts," Gwen voice came.

" No heavy weapons," Jack said.

" They don't need any," Gwen said, " they use our own against us. "

" We left the key under the doormat," Jack agreed, " all they need to do it walk in and take over. "

" Tell me you can end this," Tosh said, as Lily began to realise for the first time, that this was more dangerous than she'd even thought before. They could actually all die, if Jack didn't get this right.

" Going as fast as we can," Jack replied, " and if we don't stop it, we won't feel a thing. We're at the centre of the radius blast. "

" That's comforting," Tosh muttered.

Lily prayed that Jack would be able to do it- she couldn't stand the thought of what could happen otherwise. " Jack? " she called, " if we don't all make it ... if you don't stop it ... I love you. None of it matters - Ianto, whoever else, the wife, the family, everything. They're not important and I love you no matter what. "

" I love you, baby," Jack said simply, " but christ, have a little faith won't you? With a dashing hero like me on the case, how can we fail? "

" He is dashing, you have to give him that," Ianto said.

" And he's my hero," Lily said, quieter.

Owen heaved a sigh and broke the contact on the comms. They all stood in silence until Owen broke it, " What if they can't stop it? "

" They'll stop it," Tosh replied.

" Yeah, but if they can't? " Owen pressed.

" Then it's all over," Ianto said.

" We're done for," Lily added seriously, not knowing what to do or what do say.

" Let's all have sex," Owen said randomly.

" And I thought the end of the world couldn't get any worse," Ianto deadpanned while the girl threw Owen look of disbelief.

They waited in mostly silence for it all to be over. They all sat together, all hoping theyd be alright, and all knowing there was nothing they could do about it. Tosh, Ianto and Owen were sat doing nothing and Lily sighed, reaching for a piece of paper from Tosh's desk, and a pen.

" What're you doing? " Owen asked her as she pulled the lid off the pen.

" Writing a note," she replied calmly, " just to my dad, incase we don't make it. Just to let him know what happened to me. He'll only know about getting blown up ... I should tell him ... "

" Don't be stupid," Owen said, plucking the paper from her hand and putting it back on the desk, then reaching out to take the pen from her, " we might be alright. We're certainly not writing our goodbyes. "

Lily sighed. She supposed he might be right - she needed to have more faith in Jack. Jack could do anything - he was her handsome hero, and he'd get them through this.

It felt like an age before the cog door to the hub opened and Gwen walked in. Everyone else was very relieved, and Lily was a little so, but more bothered about the others. Beth followed her, and Lily was more relieved - it was all over. Beth could be properly frozen, and everything was going to be alright now.

When Jack walked through the doors, the others were already talking to Gwen, and Lily beamed. Jack stopped in the doorway when he saw Lily, and she rushed towards him. He held out his arms and closed them around her the second she ran at him.

" Told you I'd do it," he said, before planting a kiss on her cheek.

She grinned and looked up at him, keeping her arms around him. He looked down at her and them brought his lips to hers.

" No way was I going to fail us," he whispered as his lips were centimetres away from hers, before he closed the small distance between them. It was a kiss that came from the fact that were both glad to live, and it soon turned into a deep, long kiss.

Lily was still finding it hard to be close to someone for too long after the whole thing with the Master, but this time alll her fears seemed to slide away, and they shared a kiss that was longer than before, welding them together.

Lily allowed one of Jack's hands to rest on her behind and he was more forceful as he kissed her. When they broke apart, he planted another little kiss on her cheek and then another, before taking her hand and walking towards the others - he had to tow Lily a little as she was in a daze from their kiss - the most passionate one yet since the Master.

The team all stood together and tried to decide what to do next.

After a short discussion, Owen nodded, " That's it them. We freeze her, but we keep a better eye on her until she's all the way under. "

Lily nodded, " It's the only way. Because otherwise she'll activate one day and kill us all. " She cleared her throat as Beth stared at her and muttered, " sorry, Beth. "

As the others all went into the main area of the hub, Gwen and Beth went up the stairs and walked along the catwalk where they were just of the sight of the others, standing and talking, since they'd formed a bond.

" This is it," Lily said, as she and Jack stood together near Lily's desk, " it's over ."

Jack shrugged, " This time. There could be more out there, you know. "

" I know," she said, looking up at him, " but you saved us this time. "

He winked as he turned to look at her, " I'll always save you. "

She folded her arms over her chest, " Yeah? And one day I'll save you, 'cause it's always you doing the saving. "

He shook his head, " No. No it's not. You save me from being lonely and bitter by being here. "

She scoffed, " That's such a stupid thing to say. So old fashioned, Jack. Then again, you _are _a grandad, I suppose. "

" Stop with that," he said, poking her in her side.

" What? " she asked innocently, " it's a fact. You have a grandchild, therefore you're a grandad. Doesn't that make you feel old? When are the grey hairs coming? Oooh, there's a thought - I might not want you when you're old and grey. Then what would you do? "

" That's never going to happen," he told her, poking her teasingly again.

Their fun and teasing was broken apart by a shout from the other end of the hub. Lily looked up to see that Beth had grabbed hold of Gwen and was holding the blade to her neck, threatening to kill her, there upon the catwalk.

Jack immediately looked around for his gun and found one quickly, passing Lily hers.

Since she refused to shoot at anyone - refusing to kill unless it was absolutely no other choice - Jakc had decided he couldn't do with Lily's morals. Sometimes they needed to act fast and he needed her to be protected. She said she wouldn't shoot anything and everything that was a threat, so he offered her a tranquillizer gun, telling her she'd better take that one. She's agreed, incethat way, she could still be protected and wouldn't have to kill anyone.

" I won't let you freeze me! " Beth shouted, drawing everyone's attention, " I'll kill you all! "

The others all reached for their guns and they started to move forwards, stopping just underneath the bottom of the catwalk, " Let her go! " Owen shouted, followed by the same demand from Jack.

" No! " Gwen shouted in protest, " no, no, don't shoot. She won't kill me - it's a trick. Don't shoot! "

" Get away from Gwen! " Tosh shouted as they all brandished their guns

" Beth, you don't want to do this," Jack said, trying to remain calm, " think about it. Let her go. "

" I'll kill all of you," Beth shouted, though her voice trembled with fear and Lily began to suspect that this Beth was still human, trying to make them kill her because she didn't want to be a monster. She wanted to always remain human until the end.

Lily saw Gwen mutter something to Beth and Beth mumble something back, before Beth pulled her arm back and moved it towards Gwen's neck, dangerously close.

That was it.

Everyone, Lily included, shot. Lily closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, she couldn't see Beth, since Beth must have been lying flat on her back, dead. Jack and Owen were no on the catwalk with Gwen, checking Beth wad dead.

Lily was a little suprised she'd actually shot, but there was no option. There was no way of knowing that wasn't the alien Beth, and it was kill or be killed.

" She wanted you to shoot her! " Gwen roared, upset, " she used her last shred of humanity to di this!"

" She knew we couldn't take any chances," Owen replied, " she was just making things easier for us. "

Lily didn't quite know what to do with herself until Jack walked over to her some five minutes later. She was still standing in the same spot when he walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, " C'mon, baby," he said, " I think that's enough work for one day. How about we all call it a night? "

Lily nodded and turned around in his arms, burying herself against him and getting lost in his protective, cuddly embrace that she loved so much.

***

When everything was tied up and the rest of the team had gone home, Jack laid flat on his back in the bed, the quilt cover just up to his waist, revealing his bare chest.

This was the sight Lily was met with as she left the bathroom and wandered into the bedroom, wearing the too-large shirt over her underwear.

Jack wolf-whistled, and she shook her head at him, crossing the room.

" My hero," she said, her eyes roaming up and down his perfectly toned body as she walked slowly towards the bed, purposely to annoy him.

" See something you like? " he asked her.

She shrugged, " Now you mention it, yeah. " She grinned, " that bed looks lovely and comfy. "

Jack growled a little and Lily gigled as she got to the edge of the bed. She wanted to sleep at the side near the wall but Jack was in her way so she climbed over him until she got to be where she wanted, collapsing against the pillos

Jack grinned and rolled over, leaning over her.

She looked up at him and pushed him away with one hand, " What do you want? "

He pouted, " It's been a rough day, and now there's this gorgeous young lady in my bed. I think I owe it to this beautiful girl to make up the rubbish day we've had. "

Lily shrugged, " I don't think she'll mind. She's probably tired anyway. "

Jack leaned down and captured her lips with his own.


	6. Meat

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Some Gwen and Lily conflict in here because I couldn't resist. **

Chapter Six

Lily was in one of her favourite places - sitting on the edge of Jack's desk, right in front of him. Jack sat in his chair, grinning at her, his legs spread out, while her knees fitted into the space there.

It had been three weeks since the sleeper incident, and Lily had now been at Torchwood for a month. She'd spoken to her dad a few more times, but each time they spoke it wasn't for long and one of them was too busy, so their visit kept getting delayed.

It was early in the day and not much had happened yet. The rest of the team were in, but doing very little work, leaving Lily and Jack free. More or less. Jack had a call to make and since Lily had little to do, she'd gotten a shower while the others started work.

She'd meant to get changed straight after getting a shower, but she threw on a long dressing gown and went up to the office to ask Jack if he'd seen her hair dryer. She got distracted while they were there and Jack ended up having her sit down and talk about random things

Eventually they got onto the same topic they'd been talking about last night.

She'd been there with him for

Lily sighed as she looked at him, " Let me try once more. "

Jack nodded and leant forwards again, " I think you were nearly there," he said, " but don't be hard on yourself. I've been around a long time - I'm quite a difficult mind to get into and you haven't had much practise at it."

Lily had decided that she wanted to build on her psychic abilities - she'd never used them much before and she felt she might like to keep them in good order - so she asked Jack if she could practise on him. Jack had agreed without hesitation and Lily had already tried and failed to penetrate his mind twice.

Jack leant towards her and she reached out and put her fingertips to his temples, also leaning forwards.

" What are you actually looking for? " Jack asked her.

She shrugged and watched with a smile as he closed his eyes, " I don't know. Why, have you got something to hide? "

" Of course not," he said at once.

She smiled, " Maybe it _would _work better if I was focusing on something. Ok, just keep your eyes closed and let me do the work. "

She pressed a little more with her fingers and rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes. She tried to think harder, and it was as if she was trying to break down a wall in Jack's mind. She could almost see closed doors in Jack's mind and when she tried to push against each one she was greeted with flashes of light and quick images.

There were some of the Torchwood team and some of people she didn't recognise. She closed her eyes tighter, and she almost lost her control until she told herself to focus and pressed harder against Jack's mind.

She could hear his voice, brief words drifting past, as she caught bits of how he was feeling and what he thought, until there was a solid image. She closed her eyes and watched in his mind.

They were in the main area of the hub. Jack was standing with his arms around Lily's waist, while Lily shouted at a teenage girl with dark hair and blue eyes, to stop running. The girl ran into the Doctor, who grinned and gave the girl a big hug. Then a younger girl, with long blonde hair came and tugged on the leg of Jack's trousers while a dark haired, rather handsome, teenage boy ran past too.

Lily was shocked by what she saw and frowned a little, wondering what it was. She wasn't even aware if Jack had known that was in his mind, and when she pressed a little further, Jakc's mind just letting her go where she wanted, she found that that was Jack's imagination of their future.

She withdrew her hands and the link between them was broken, as Lily pulled away and her breathing was deep and laboured. She looked Jack, who opened his eyes slowly.

" I did it," she muttered.

" You did," Jack nodded, leaning back in his chair.

Lily frowned, " Did you see what I saw? "

He nodded.

" What is it? " she asked, confused - she knew it was something to do with the future, " is that ... it that how you see me and you? "

He shrugged, giving her a lazy grin, " Yeah. One day. We've got a hell of a lot of time in front of us, but one day I thought maybe we'd have kids. Me, you, some kids. I bet your dad'd be thrilled for some grandkids. "

Lily laughed, " I don't. He might come after you and castrate you. " She smiled a little, " I didn't think you'd want kids ... I just ... didn't see you and being the type to want kids. "

He reached out and took her hand, " One day, now I've got the perfect woman, I thought I might want a family with her. I could be a family man," he added defensively, when she just looked at him, " I'm not just a save-the-world hero. I could be a family man. "

Lily beamed and shuffled closer to him, " That might be nice," she said, " when we've got sick of each other and we're fed up of it being just the two of us - "

" Oh, that'll never happen," he cut in.

She shrugged, " We'll see. "

There was a pause during which Lily giggled.

" What? "

She shook her head. " You - you're such a romantic. Sometimes you're wanting to be a hero and save the world, and be all macho and protective. But then you want to settle down at the end of the day and cuddle me and think about our future together. God, I love you. "

Jack smirked, " There's no need to call me God. Jack will do fine. "

She rolled her eyes but he grinned and put his hands on the table, pulling his chair forward and looking at her. There was a pause before he brought one hand up to her face and pressed his lips against her lips. She had no objections to this and gladly kissed back. They were able to be completely together now, as most of Lily's fears from the Master were all gone.

The kiss became deeper as Lily ran a hand through Jack's hair, and Jack did that nibbling on Lily's lip lightly that she loved so much. She moaned against his mouth and felt like she might have melted if she hadn't been sitting securely on the desk, one of Jack's hands pressing down against her hip.

Lily was so lost in the kiss that when there was a noise behind her, it didn't register properly. She didn't break the kiss and was left feeling dazed when she realised Jack's lips were no longer attached to hers.

" Ah, Ianto," she heard Jack say.

She looked over her shoulder and saw Ianto standing there looking awkward about walking in on them - Lily suspected that Ianto still held a torch for Jack, though she knew he'd never act on it, and she knew he must be feeling bad about liking Jack when Jack already had Lily.

" Your timing," she told him with a sigh, " is incredibly unfortunate. "

" I'm sorry," he deadpanned, " perhaps we should have a certain knocking system so I know when it's ... ahem ... safe to enter. "

Lily blushed a little, but Jack simply smirked shamelessly, " What can I do for you? " he asked.

Ianto's face turned more serious and he told them, " Looks like we've got our first job of the day. Lorry accident - the police are there and they've looked in the back. There's some suspicious meat there - Owen thought you might want to take a look at it. "

Jack nodded, " If Owen thinks it's worth taking a look at, then we'll go. Tell Gwen and Owen we'll get going right away. "

Ianto nodded and left the room swiftly. Lily stood up and ran a hand through her hair, which was mostly dry since they'd been talking for so long. " You just go," she told Jack, " there's no point waiting for me to get changed. I'll get changed quickly and then you can tell me what's going on over the comms. "

Jack nodded, " Yeah. " He kissed her lips briefly, since he always seemed to kiss her before he left or she left, and she smiled when they broke apart.

A short while later, Lily came back up the ladder, fully dressed, crossed the office and went into the main area of the hub. Only Tosh was left, and the others had all gone to the crash scene.

The two women sat together by the computers, and after a few moments of idle conversation, Tosh - who had become Lily's closest friend and confidante at Torchwood, besides Jack - asked her, " You know the other week? I asked you what the most amazing thing you've ever done was, and you said you'd have to think about it. Do you have an answer yet? "

Lily smiled, " There's been lots of things. I once got honoured by Queen Victoria - she made me Lady Lily of the TARDIS. I married Will Shakespeare - I think I told you that already. And there was once a certain meeting with Casanova - but don't tell Jack - he'll get all jealous. The best thing was probably the first time I met Jack though. "

Tosh smiled, " That's sweet - I wish I had someone who looked at me the way Jack looks at you. It's like you're all he can see sometimes. And you know, you never actually said where you met. "

Lily smiled as she thought about it, " Ah, the beauty of time travel. Let me paint you a picture - it's 1941, and the TARDIS lands at the height of the blitz. My dad leaves me and my friend Rose on our own. We go wandering off and end up climbing a building and hanging off a rope. Only problem was, this rope was attached to a barrage balloon in the middle of a German air raid on Britain. "

Tosh raised her eyebrows, " Seriously? "

Lily nodded, " Oh yeah. There I was, and then this light field appears around us and a smooth American voice says " I've got you. " I knew my stuff and he knew I wasn't from the 1940s. He got us onto his ship, where he caught me in his arms when I landed. God, I looked up and there was this handsome man with a killer smile, all dressed in a uniform. He turned on the charm straight away. "

Tosh smiled, " Did you know, right then, that he was the one for you? "

Lily shrugged, " I don't know. I was a smart time traveller, never been in love and he was a charming conman. I didn't stand a chance. He thought we were from the time agency so he tried to negotiate with us. Though to him, that wasn't exactly a chat. He took us on the roof of his ship, which was all tied up to Big Ben, gave me a glass of champagne, turned on the Glenn Miller, took me at the waist, wrapped himself around me, and slow danced me around. " She sighed.

Tosh was looking at her, as if she wasn't expecting any of that, " Wow ... it's all so ... romantic. "

" I know," Lily sighed, " I was so determined that this handsome man wasn't going to distract me from why we were in London in the first place, but when he pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, I almost forgot to breathe. I always told myself I wasn't going to fall for this charming overconfident rogue, but I think I knew back there on his ship, that he was amazing. "

Tosh nodded, " I wouldn't have had Jack down for that type. He's more about weevils than slowdancing and champagne. "

Lily shrugged, " I don't know. Jack does everything pretty well, doesn't he? What about you anway? I knew pretty early on that Jack and his flirting would entice me in the end - when did you know you and Owen might be ... you know? "

Tosh blushed and turned away a little, " I don't know. There's not really anything going on between me and Owen ... "

Lily scoffed, " No, but there certainly should be. "

" I don't know," Tosh repeated, " Owen's always been a friend, but there's just something about him ... he's Owen, and that just seems so right. "

Lily smiled a little, " Why don't you just ask him out? "

" I don't know if I could," Tosh said.

" Sure you can," Lily told her, " it's easy. All you've got to do is ask him if he wants to go for a drink or something - no big deal - and then see how it goes. "

They were interruped by Owen's voice coming over the comms, " Spacegirl? "

" Yeah, I'm here," Lily said, as Owen had only made contact between himself and Lily on the comms.

" We've seen the meat - it's a sort of dense flesh, no bones, but it's not like any flesh I've ever seen. We're bringing a sample back to the hub. I was going to test it, but Jack suggested you might be able to get it done quicker. "

Lily paused and then said, " I'll have a look at it, but I've no doubt that you'll do it if I can't. Is there anything else we need to know? "

Owen paused and then said, " We're on our way back now. The van we found the meat in though .... the lorry belongs to the firm Gwen's fiance manages. We don't know if he's involved. "

Lily was smirking a little, but she quickly tried to repress it, " Oh dear, that's a shame. "

" You could try sounding a little more symathetic," Owen said, sounding as though he was rolling his eyes, " what's Gwen ever done to you? "

Lily knew that Owen and Gwen had been together in the past and there was still a friendship between them, but she didn't care. " She fancies my boyfriend, that's what! " Lily said, louder than she'd meant to, Tosh sending her an alarmed look.

Owen scoffed, " Don't tell me you're jealous? "

" Jealous? " Lily said, " no, she's jealous of me. Because suddenly Jack cares about someone else, and she can't deal with the fact that she's not everyone's number one priority. I swear she wants him - and she's got Rhys. How dare she? "

She heard Owen sigh heavily. " I wish I'd never asked. See you in a bit. "

Soon after, the rest of the team was back, and while Ianto, Tosh, Jack and Gwen stood by the workstations, Owen and Lily were down in the medical bay.

Lily had her spanner in her hand and was scanning the slab of meat on the table in front of her, while Owen poked around it wearing oversized gloves.

" Anything? "

Lily looked up when she heard the voice she loved the most, and saw Jack standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against the railings. She looked at the horrid meat and told him, " Evidence of a vertabral column, but it's genetic make up is unlike anything you'd find of Earth. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is yet, but it's most definitley alien. "

" And," Owen added, " whoever's farming it knows it's dodgy. " He held up a label they'd found, " this is an official stamp from a vet - "fit for consumption" It's fake. A good fake, but a fake nonetheless."

" I want to take some more scans on this," Lily said, " and I think you should get on to Rhys. If he's the manager of this thing, you need to know how much he knows. "

Jack smirked a little, " Since when are _you _in charge? "

Lily shrugged, " Since I'm brilliant, since you love me, and since you've stood in some of this god-awful meat and I _know _you're not going to clean your own boots."

Jack shrugged, " Guess we'd better make a call to Harwood's Haulage. "

Lily smiled and watched as he walked away.

She and Owen continued to work and they did more and more tests. Lily was certain that she'd never seen anything like this, and she wanted to know more about it - there must be more of it, and she wanted to go see it.

She was determined to know what was going on and get to the bottom of it when Jack reappeared at the top of the stairs. She looked up, waiting to hear what he had to say.

" Well? "

He told her, as Owen listening too, " We pretended to be the police. Rhys gave us the name of the firm - apparently it's a weekly contract. Also told us the meat goes to an abbatoir, though he couldn't tell us exactly where. Ianto's onto that. "

Lily nodded, " How's Gwen? " she asked after a moment.

Jack paued before reply, " Stuggling to accept that Rhys could have any part in it. But coping. She'll be fine - you know Gwen. "

Lily frowned a little, " Hmm ... I know Gwen. "

Jack turned around and walked away, completely oblivious to the tensions between Gwen and Lily sometimes, even if everyone else could notice it to different degrees.

Lily was about to mutter something sarcastic about Gwen until she realised she'd not told Jack the most important thing they'd just found out, " Oh, babe? " she shouted after him.

At once, he whirled around and turned to look at her.

" Last scans shows it's definitley alien meat," Lily told him, " though God knows where they're getting it from. Oh, yeah, and I forgot the most important part - if it's been going to abbatoirs and into the processing plant, then it's been going into pies, burgers, pasties - everything. And that means ... "

" It's been going into everything," Jack finished.

Owen nodded, having done other scans with Lily, on the meat, " The DNA traces are stable though. Some sort of animal sedative used, but no diseases. My guess is it's good enough to eat. "

Lily scoffed, " Humans. Would _you _eat it Owen? "

They were interrupted by Ianto coming over to them and looking around at them before announcing, " Pizza's here. Thought we should all have something to eat. "

" What'd you get me? " Owen asked.

" Usual," Ianto replied easily, " meat feast. "

" Lovely," Owen muttered with a deflated sigh, looking back at the ugly slab of meat.

Lily giggled though she tried to stop herself, and then she pulled off the rubber gloves and started walking up the stairs, " Pizza," she said, laying a hand on Jack's arm as she passed him, " is waiting for us. "

" You don't even _like _pizza," Jack said, following her across the hub.

" I know," she shrugged.

Jack rolled his eyes and stood in the doorway of the kitchen as Lily went in and washed her hands, pulling a face at the thought of the meat - whatever it was, they needed to see it.

She went back into the main area, but Jack blocked her exit, throwing an arm around her waist and kissing her lips. She smiled against him and kissed him back a little, before laying her hands on his chest and pushing him away.

He pouted at her and she giggled, shaking her head at him and breezing past him, towards her desk, where there was a box of pizza sitting. Jack followed her and Lily shrugged and picked up the box, handing it to him - she loved the way that Ianto had automatically left Jack's food with her. Ianto had also got Lily a bag of chips instead of a pizza.

Jack opened the box and sat on the edge of Lily's desk, while Lily sat on the desk beside him.

She looked around and saw Tosh, Gwen and Owen in front of Tosh's workstation, all eating their own food, while Ianto was somewhere else, working on finding them the place of the warehouse they needed to be at.

Lily popped a chip into her mouth and watched Jack eat, distracted as always, by his good looks. She smiled as he ate a slice of pizza, and then she reached into the box and plucked a piece of pineapple from one of the slices and ate it.

Jack looked at her and shook his head, before reaching over and taking one of her chips.

When he tried to take another one, she swatted his hand away and he grabbed her hand, balancing his pizza box with the other hand. She laughed and tried to tug her hand from his grip - he relented after a moment and then let go. She pouted at him and he rolled his eyes.

" That won't always work," he told her, " you can't just look pretty, flutter your eyelashes, pout and expect me to let you have your own way. You can't just give me those gorgeous eyes and .... " he paused and then shook his head, " aw hell, of course you can. "

She giggled and he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

They sat together for a few minutes, until Lily looked over at what Gwen and the others were doing.

" D'you think Rhys is involved? " Lily asked.

Jack shrugged, " I don't know. He might be, but from what Gwen says about him he's not bright enough to be involved. But you never know. " He sighed, " Poor Gwen. She's struggling to imagine him being involved. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " Yeah, poor Gwen," she said, sarcastically.

Jack threw her a quick look and shook his head at her, " What's the matter? "

Lily shrugged, " Nothing," she said, knowing that she probably shouldn't tell Jack of her dislike for Gwen, but she was no good at keeping things away from him. " I just .... " she sighed, " It just feels like Gwen's always the centre of attention. She wants everything to be about her, and it's not. "

Jack was a little suprised and shook his head again, " This sort of ... _is _about her. It's her fiance, baby. How would you feel if I was doing something dodgy that you didn't know about? "

Lily shrugged, " You wouldn't keep anything big from me, because you know I'd kill you. And if I didn't, my dad certainly would. It's scary, isn't it, when he gets all protective? "

Jack chuckled and stole another chip from Lily, while Lily sighed and wondered why Jack couldn't see how annoying Gwen was, and how self-centered she could be sometimes, even if she was a good worker and knew her stuff sometimes.

" Done it! " Ianto called as he entered he main area and looked around at everyone, " I've narrowed down where we need to be to three potential areas. Only one is an unoccupied warehouse. It's just outside Merthyr."

" We can't let this go on," Lily said through a mouthful of chips.

" Neutralize whoever's doing this," Jack nodded, " Tosh, you can co-ordinate. The rest of us will go to the warehouse. "

" I have to slip home and check on Rhys first," Gwen said, causing Lily to roll her eyes.

Jack nodded and allowed Gwen to go, telling her they'd meet her outside, by the water tower. When she'd gone, he told Ianto and Owen to go to the warehouse right away, while he'd wait for Gwen and they'd follow in the SUV.

" I'm staying with you," said Lily at once.

Jack shrugged, " No arguments from me. "

Lily knew Jack loved her and would never be with anyone else, but she still wanted to be with him, so Gwen couldn't be alone with him. She smirked, thinking of the way it would annoy Gwen if Lily was always there, stopping her from getting everyone's attention. Lily knew it seemed childish, but she didn't care. Gwen needed to accept that Jack had Lily and that wasn't going to change.

Lily and Jack stood on the concrete block as it ascending up into the bay. Jack was holding Lily's hand tightly, their fingers interlocked and Lily was perfectly content to cosy up to him.

When they got to the top, it was windy Lily's hair was blown about. Jack smiled at her and used his other hand to move some hair from Lily's face, so he could see her.

" There," he smiled, " no use covering up that pretty face. "

She smiled too, " Charming as always, Captain. "

He gave her a long look, before stepping off the block, Lily in step with him. They walked a few steps forward and Lily soon spotted Gwen crossing the plass, towards them. She rolled her eyes but said nothing as Gwen reached their side.

" Like I thought," Gwen said, looking at Jack after a fleeting glance at Lily, " he has no idea what's going on. "

" Guess we'd better get to the slaughter house," Jack said, offering out his arm to Gwen, making Lily stare at him. She was even less impressed when Gwen took his arm. Her hold on Jack's hand loosened, but Jack glanced at her and gave her a look that told her not to be so daft, and gripped her hand tighter.

Once they were in the SUV, Gwen got to it before Lily did and immediately got into the passenger seat. Lily stared after her and then looked at Jack, who was smirking at the furious look on Lily's face, but immediately let the smirk slip when she glared at him.

Lily frowned but then looked at the SUV with determination, " Right, I'm driving," she said, determined not to let Gwen get her own way. She felt like Gwen was trying to shove Lily away from Jack.

Jack rolled his eyes, knowing he couldn't stop her when she wanted to do something. " Be careful, baby," he told her. " And try not to drive us all to our deaths. "

Lily shrugged, grinning wickedly at him as she reached the door, " Hey, you'd come back to life and I'd regenerate. No harm done. "

" Lily," Jack hissed, warningly.

Lily just shrugged and got into the drivers seat, slamming the door behind her and leaving Jack to get into the back of the SUV behind she and Gwen. Gwen looked suprised to see Lily behind the wheel and asked her if she could actually drive.

Lily smirked, " I can drive a spaceship ... well, sort of ... well, sometimes ... so I think I can manage a car. It's not that hard. Except when the traffic lights get in the way ... but we're Torchwood, we can ignore some of those, right? "

Soon they were speeding down the road, much faster than Gwen would ever drive, not quite as fast as Jack would drive, but equally as fast as Owen liked to. Lily had them at the slaughterhouse in a very quick time, and as they drove, Jack spoke over the comms.

" Ianto, Owen, we're just pulling in. How are things looking? "

Ianto's reply came through to all three of them and he said, " Yeah, it's all quiet here. There's a deserted access road where you won't get noticed - take that. "

Lily did as directed, listening as Ianto told her where to go and exactly whereabouts to park.

" Right," said Ianto over the comms as the SUV pulled up, " there's one door at the main entrance, padlocked. There's no windows, and according to the sensor, the stock has to be in the central area, though there's a heat signature across the entire building. "

" That's a lot of meat," Gwen muttered.

" Sure is," Lily agreed, " we need to get in there, and we need to do it fast. "

When Ianto and Owen informed them of the ways in they'd found, Jack nodded and took it in his strides, giving his orders, " You two take the sides, Gwen, Lily and I will go in front. We don't want any casualties. We stun-gun whoever's in there and put a stop to what they're doing. "

Looking at Lily and Gwen, he nodded, " Let's go. "

The three of them got out of the car, ready to shut down this meat that was being used in there, and heading for the front of the building. Lily walked slightly in front of Jack, but suddenly Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards.

Her hearts raced and she looked up at him.

He put his finger to his lips and made both Gwen and Lily get around the corner, before he started peering around it. " There's someone there," he told them.

Lily looked around the corner too, as did Gwen and Lily's eyes widened when she saw who was standing there. She glanced at Gwen and heard her shocked voice.

Gwen shook her head, " It's R-Rhys. What the hell's he doing? "

" Maybe he was more involved than we thought," Lily muttered, as they all watched the man in confusion and anticipation.

They watched as a white sports car pulled towards the building and the driver got out, Rhys going over to talk to him. They were too far away to be heard, but Lily felt sure Rhys had to be in on it

Looking at Jack she sighed, " Well that's done it. We can't - "

" Go in there and do our thing, if Rhys could be in there and involved," Jack finished, " I know. " Speaking over the comms, he ordered Ianto and Owen to stand down, as Rhys followed the man into the warehouse.

The next thing Lily knew, Gwen was trying to run around the corner and follow Rhys, but Gwen grabbed her roughly and pinned her to the wall of the warehouse, to Lily's amazement and annoyance.

" No," he said.

" He said he didn't know what was going on," Gwen told Jack, pushing him off her, " he wouldn't lie to me. "

" He might," Jack said firmly, " he also said he didn't know where they were based, but he did. "

" There's something wrong," Gwen said, trying to head for the entrance again.

" You can't," Lily called after her at the same time Jack shouted, " No! " and moved forwards again, grabbing her and once again pinning her to the wall, though this time more firmly, and refusing to let go.

Lily hated the way that Jack was holding Gwen down, but she said nothing, simply looking on as Gwen continued to protest, though Jack wasn't letting her get anywhere.

When Gwen calmed down after a moment, she agreed to do as Jack said, and she simply stood there, thinking about Rhys, looking like she didn't believe any of it. Lily was quite happy that Jack had let go of Gwen even though she knew Jack didn't care for Gwen the way he cared for Lily.

They were in silence as they waited for Rhys to reappear and all Lily could think about was that she'd rather be doing some action and finding something out, rather than standing around.

The wind continued to whip around then and Lily sighed, folding her arms and leaning back against the warehouse wall.

" You alright? " Jack asked her.

Lily shrugged, " I'm fine. Just ... fed up. "

Jack looked at her for a moment and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She smiled as she shuffled closer to him, loving being so close to him even when they were in the middle of something.

Lily was so distracted by Jack's warm, protective arm around her that she barely noticed when two figures left the main entrance and came into their view.

She came to her senses when she heard Gwen's faint gasp, and she pulled away from under Jack's arm, turning to look at what was going on.

They watched as Rhys and a man they didn't recognise chatted away and then shook hands. They were too far away for Gwen, Jack and Lily to hear them talking, which made them all the more intruiged.

" I don't get it," Gwen said.

" Me neither," Lily said, shaking her head as they continued to watch. The other man appeared to let Rhys go, as Rhys went towards his car. He waved to the other man before getting into the car, and Lily was shocked by how friendly everything seemed - definitley something going on.

" C'mon," Jack said after a moment.

Lily lingered while Jack and Gwen went off, looking at Rhys in his car, and then shaking her head before following after the other two, trying to think about what they could do next.

Once back at the SUV, Jack was in the back, and Gwen in the passenger seat again, sitting there and thinking hard. Lily didn't even bother to get into the drivers seat, and instead got in the back with Jack.

The three of them sat in silence, Lily sitting with one leg crossed over the othe, and her head against Jack's shoulder. They all sat in silence, thinking about everything they'd seen and waiting for Ianto and Owen to return. Lily had a strong feeling that there was a lot more to come.

Once they were back at the hub, Gwen went home to talk to Rhys on Jack and Lily's recommendation as much as her own merit. The others - possibly barring Gwen - had generally accepted Lily as being second in command. They accepted her as being an authority because of the way she conducted herself, and the way she knew so much. Even Jack was a little afraid of her sometimes.

Lily, Ianto, Owen and Tosh were sitting around the lounge area each with a cup of coffee.

Lily glanced over at Jack on the top level, looking across all of the hub, and smiled a little. She'd started off up there with him but decided she couldn't miss out on Ianto's coffee, and went to sit with the others.

" Well, this is unprecedented - a fiance finding out," Ianto said simply.

" Mainly because we're all sad and single," Tosh said.

" Except me," Lily pointed out.

Tosh shrugged, " Yeah, but Jack's part of this too. He knows everything that happens - none of us have got anything going on outside of Torchwood. "

Owen shrugged, " I could do without the hassle. "

Tosh sighed, and Lily rolled her eyes, knowing this was going to turn into one of those Tosh and Owen things that amounted in nothing. Tosh said, " Maybe the answer is to go out with someone who knows what you do. "

" I think so," Lily nodded, looking around for Jack.

Ianto sighed wistfully and muttered, " Yeah," before catching himself and sharply looking away from where Lily had been looking.

Owen on the other hand, simply scoffed, " Look around you Tosh. Only we know what we do. "

Owen pushed his chair back and left the lounge, leaving Tosh to sigh after him and pull at face at how oblivious he was.

" Men," Lily muttered, giving Tosh a sympathetic look when Owen was far enough out of earshot, " don't have a bloody clue, do they? "

" No," Tosh mumbled.

" Don't worry about it," Lily told her wih a small smile, " He'll see it in the end - he can't help being thick. He's a bloke. I mean, take Jack - he can't see that Gwen pines after him, and he can't see how much she goes out of her way to annoy me, and he can't see how him flirting with everything could possibly annoy me. " She grinned, " that being said, he's fantastic. I wouldn't trade him for anything. "

She smiled and then went for the door too.

When she was gone, Ianto and Tosh exchanged looks.

" Well, it's alright for some, isn't it? " Ianto muttered.

Lily went to join Jack, who'd just come down the stairs from the catwalk and was standing there looking at Lily.

" What's the matter? " she asked as she walked towards him, " see something you like? "

He shrugged, " I don't know. That top you're wearing's not bad. "

" Eyes up, Captain," she said, shaking her head.

He shrugged again, " I can't help it if you're short. "

She stuck her tounge out at him and he laughed, walking past her and heading towards the concrete block from under the perception filter, where Gwen and Rhys were descending down. Lily followed him and the pair of them stood at the bottom and waited for the other couple, while Ianto, Tosh and Owen stood in the background.

" Now," Jack said, leaning over to whisper at Lily, his breath tickling her cheek, " will you promise me you'll behave? "

" Don't I - " she started.

" No," he said, quickly cutting her off. " Just don't .... start anything stupid, you hear? Whatever you've got against Gwen - "

Lily frowned and broke her silence over the subject and told him, keeping her voice low, " What I've got against her is basically that she wants _my _boyfriend. "

Jack looked a little suprised but then rolled his eyes, " Don't say that," he said, " that's just stupid. And even if she _did _want me - because let's face it, I'm pretty irresistable - it wouldn't matter. If you haven't worked out by now that I love you, then there's something wrong. "

" I know you do," Lily said, " it just annoys me. "

Lily got up on her toes and planted a kiss on Jack's cheek, " I must really get on your nerves sometimes. " She shrugged, " God, I love you. "

He chuckled, " I've told you, you don't need to call me God. "

She smiled at him fondly but said nothing more as the concrete block stopped and Gwen and Rhys were in front of them, Gwen looking pleased to have been able to Rhys about Torchwood, and Rhys just completely amazed.

" Captain Jack Harkness," Jack said, extending a hand to Rhys," thanks for dropping in. "

Gwen stepped off the block and motioned towards the rest of the team, " This are Ianto Jones, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato and Lily. "

" Lily Harkness," Lily corrected with a fixed smiled, though she was also thrilled at giving Jack's name as her own, and Jack gave her a smile for it.

Rhys looked briefly between Jack and Lily but said nothing.

" Welcome to the headquarters," Jack nodded.

" They're bigger than mine," Rhys said, looking around.

Gwen giggled nervously and Jack offered a smile, while Lily remained cautious about Rhys and his involvement in things though she felt it was neccessary to have Rhys here to get to the bottom of things.

" So Gwen tells me you catch aliens," Rhys said - rather casually, Lily thought.

" That's right," Jack said.

Lily took over, " There's a rift in space and time that runs straight through Cardiff and a load of stuff - Flotsam and Jetsam really - slips through from other planets and timelines. Can be a bit annoying really - you wouldn't believe some of the stuff we found. And if you knew some of the things I've seen fullstop ... well, you wouldn't believe it anyway. Basically we have to monitor everything that comes through ... though there's some messy paperwork sometimes. Ugh. "

Rhys looked at Gwen and muttered something about Lily being mental.

Lily ignored him and clapped her hands together in a manner that was rather reminiscent of her dad, " Anyway, never mind all that. The big question is, slab of alien meat sitting in a warehouse and you at the scene. What's going on? "

" Just tell them what you saw," Gwen said, lightly nudging Rhys.

Lily listened carefully as Rhys told them," It was like this huge, shapeless beast, filling the space, like a mound of flesh. "

" So it's one massive entity," Lily said with a little nod, before looking over her shoulder at Owen, " did we get that last test back? "

He nodded, " Sure did, spacegirl. Tests reveal high levels of chloride, so it probably lives in water. "

Lily nodded again, pausing as she thought about it, " Right," she said, snapping her fingers, " so it could have come through the rift and beached itself, and ended up dying. I don't see how they got it to the warehouse though - that place must have been fifty feet. Anyone any ideas? " she asked, looking around at the others, who by now were used to her taking over sometimes.

" Um ... " Rhys started, a little confused by this woman with the fast talk and her leadership, " maybe it was smaller when they found it. They said it's growing. "

" It's not dead? " Jack asked, suprised.

" No, it's breathing," Rhys replied, " its eyes are open. "

Lily's jaw dropped a little and she was instantly horrified - here was a creature which was still alive - just some poor alien that was stranded, and then humans were cutting it up and selling it for profit. She was disgusted and with every tiny moment that passed she became more and more disgusted - humans, she thought, could be completely despicable.

She vaguely heard Ianto, Gwen, Tosh and Owen talking about cutting up the meat and feeding the world with it if they knew how it worked.

Lily shook her head and then suddenly burst out, " Oh no, wait, wait wait," there was silence immediately, and she shook her head, " Don't you lot _get _this? "

She was met with blank looks, other than from Jack, who seemed to understand.

She continued, pacing as she spoke, " Don't you see? This is some poor creature that's lost from its own time and ended up through the rift. The poor thing is still alive, and it's stranded, and humans are using it for their own gain. How could anyone do that? Don't you lot get how horrific this is? They're cutting the thing up _alive! _" She stopped and threw her arms about as she spoke, going into a rant that was very Time Lord, " God, humans are horrible sometimes. Some humans get their hands on something they don't understand so their first instinct is to _butcher _it?! To murder it?! Something they could have left well enough alone, but oh no! Not humans! Instead, the first thing they do is torture the poor thing? Is this what happens to all aliens that show up on Earth? Are we all going to get murdered and tortured in the end? "

When she was paused for a break she was so overwhelemd by what was going on, and she simply couldn't understand how anyone could do this to a creature.

She sighed and then turned her anger on Rhys," And you! " she said, " we could have stopped it by now, or done _something _if it wasn't for you charging in! "

" I thought my fiance was in danger! " Rhys shouted back, taking a step closer to Lily, " can't you understand that before you go shouting off around the place? "

At once, Jack was between them, before anyone had really seen him move, standing with his back to Lily, facing Rhys and looking down at him, " You raise your voice to her again, and I'll do you some serious damage," he said in a low and dangerous voice, as Owen stepped forwards and laid a hand on Lily's shoulder lightly, trying to get her to calm down.

Over the last month, Lily had found that she'd become closest to Tosh and while she and Ianto got on well enough, she and Owen shared a strange friendship - it wasn't quite friendship, because that wasn't Owen's style, but it was a certain respect, since they were both quite science and technical minded, and they'd also reached a teasing aspect to their relationship.

There was a tense atmosphere as the rest of the team watched the confrontation.

Rhys pointed towards Lily while Owen kept a firm hand on her shoulder, " But she started the whole shouting. "

" I don't care," Jack said, not backing away, " she's passionate about what she believes in, and she's more or less right. But either way, do you want to know what happened to the last person who annoyed my girl? "

Rhys didn't reply, transfixed by Jack's intimidating glare.

Jack continued, " Let's just say he got shot a few times. He's dead now. "

" But I thought my fiance was in danger," Rhys repeated.

" Well, Mr Caveman, she wasn't," Jack said loudly, " she can handle herself! All you did today was mess things up! Now, we have to think of another way to get in there because thanks to you, they'll have tightened the security! "

" Well," Rhys said, also not backing down as Lily continued to watch from under Owen's firm hand - Owen wasn't convinced that Lily was completely safe to be let loose since she was so passionate about what she believed in and so angry right now, " if you'd asked me what I actually saw, rather than showing off around the place while your girlfriend shouts a lot - "

" Do I show off? " Jack asked Ianto, who was closest to him.

" Just a bit," Ianto said with a shrug.

Rhys was now fulled charged up and he got right in Jack's face, " You'd know that I got out by telling them I wanted a job as a delivery boy. So rather than cock things up, I got you a way in! But if you can't handle that, then you can stuff it! "

Jack paused and then said aside, " This is quite homoerotic. "

Lily scoffed a little at that, and Owen kept a hand on her shoulder, but relaxed it a little.

" No, Jack," Gwen said, shaking her head at the thought of it, though Lily could think of no better idea to get in, " he's not doing this. "

" Team meeting," Jack announced, looking around at everyone and then back at Rhys," you too! "

He swept past everyone and headed for the conference room.

Everyone else hesitated, looking at each other, and then also followed.

Lily was first to reach the door and before she sat down, Jack looked at her.

" It'll be alright," he told her, " we'll save the poor creature. "

Lily sighed, allowing him to kiss her cheek as she passed him, though all she could think about was her anger towards all humans. No Jack though - Jack was always so lovely and sweet. He'd been around so long that he'd seen more than anyone (except her) and he understood how she felt. She couldn't be mad at Jack for this, even if she felt mad at the rest of the humans in general.

Jack sat at the head of the table, in front of seval blueprints of the warehouse. Rhys was stood next to him, looking them over, while Gwen sat at the bottom of the table, Tosh and Lily on one side, Ianto and Owen on the other.

Owen had seated himself opposite Lily so if she got too heated against he could try to kick her under the table - since he was so confrontational, he thought he was probably the only one other than Jack who'd dare.

" He's not driving us in," Gwen said, leaning over the table.

" They're expecting me," Rhys pointed out, the couple looking at each other, unaware of anyone else in the room, " you lot can hide in the back of the van. "

" What is this, Scooby-Doo? " Gwen scoffed, " Absolutely no way is he getting involved. "

" Oh really? " Rhys demanded, " where was I was you decided to get involved? Did you give me a second thought? "

" Oh joy, a domestic," Owen mumbled.

" Rhys is right," Jack said, " this is our best way in, and I think we should take it. "

" We've handled bigger than this before," Owen said, frowning, " why don't we just storm in, guns in the air and arrest them? "

Lily rolled her eyes, " And there's another example of humans being idiots. They're random men - if you want to go in there all guns blazing, and get shot, then fine. I'm not as keen on the idea. "

" Not blazing," Owen said much quieter, " just waving. "

" The last thing we need is a bloodbath," said Jack, standing up, " we're to handle this in a controlled way. Once Rhys has loaded up, he can clear off . " To Gwen, he added, " you don't have tocome. You could stand down. "

" It might be better," Tosh nodded.

Jack pointed a finger at Rhys, " You love him," he told Gwen, " and that makes you vunerable. "

" He's not going in without me," Gwen said, standing her ground, " you love Lily, so does that make you vunerable? You'd never want to leave _her _somewhere dangerous, so why do you expect me to do the same? "

Jack paused, and then replied, " If I knew it was for the best, then I'd leave her to handle things. She's capable of looking after herself, so if it was best for the case, then I'd back off. "

Lily didn't even bother to look up during the conversation about herself - she was too occupied by thoughts of the humans and how terrible they could be.

Gwen shook her head, " No. I'm doing this. "

Jack paused and then nodded, " So we wait for Rhys to make his get away and we shut this thing down. Stun-guns only. "

That was fine by Lily - she only had a stun gun anyway since she was too stubborn to give in to using a real gun, so Jak had relented and told her she could use a stun gun all the time as she'd still be protected.

" So," Tosh said, to clarify, " once we've stun-gunned the workers, we put the creature out of its misery. "

" Absolutely not," Lily replied at once, voice rising a little, " what they've done to the poor thing is despicable so we're going to free it. It's just a poor lost alien, which makes it my responsibility. I won't let you kill it. I - "

" Baby," Jack said, a warning tone to his voice, " I agree. We're going to save it. "

Lily looked at him and was a little pleased when she saw the look he gave her - that half smile she loved just as much as the wicked grin. " Yeah," she said, standing up the adress the others, who all seemed to understand that she had the authority on this, since she was most affected by it, " we're going to help it, and save it, because that's the right thing to do. We can stabilise it, wait for the rift to open, and send it back. "

" And guess who'll be looking after it in the meantime," Ianto muttered.

" Tell me," Tosh said, looking more at Jack than Lily, " how are we going to use this thing to arm ourselves in the future? Hide behind it? "

Lily looked around at Ianto, Owen, Gwen, Rhys and Tosh, none of who seemed particularly on side about helping it - aside from maybe Rhys who didn't really have a clue what was going on.

" Why shouldn't we help it? " she demanded, not bearing to see a creature being hurt, " because it's an alien? It needs us! "

The rest of the team said nothing.

Lily continued, " What if _I'd _shown up here on my own, and you found out I was an alien. Would you have "put me out of my misery?" Just for being different? That's despicable! And if you lot won't help it, then you're just as bad as the humans who are butchering it. " She stopped and raked a hand through her hair, immediately feeling all worked up again, " you know what? Sometimes I'm ashamed of the whole human race. " She took a deep breath, and shook her head, " you know what else? I'm so ashamed of humans that I don't want another human to talk to me today, unless they've got something very important to say. "

No-one knew quite how to reply, and it was Owen who started.

" Um ... Lily? "

" What don't you understand about "no-one human"? " Lily snapped.

Owen turned to Jack, " Jack - it's growing. "

Jack, who had been watching Lily carefully, was worried about her. He knew she was so compassionate about other creatures, and that she could empathise with this meat thing to ome extent, and he agreed that they should save it. He tore his attention from her and looked at Owen, " well we'll find a way to stop it mutating. We're doing this, and that's an order! "

" Fine," Owen muttered.

" I'll stock up on plankton," Ianto declared

Ianto, Owen and Toshiko filed out of the room, while Lily remained standing up, leaning against the table, her mind racing as she thought of the poor creature and tried to tell herself to calm down, while trying to avoid the eyes of the humans in the room, who she was annoyed at.

" Hang on," she heard Rhys say quietly to Gwen, " is she an alien too then? "

" Not now Rhys," Gwen muttered, before looking at Jack, " so you do have a heart. "

" Of coure I do," Jack replied, " I think we see enough death in this job. "

Gwen and Rhys both left the room, and when they were gone, Lily looked over at Jack. She crossed the room in a few steps and stopped in front of Jack. She smiled weakly and reached for his arms, pulling them around her. He smiled too and took the hint, hugging her tightly with one arm, and putting the other hand on the back of her head.

" Thank you," she mumbled against his chest.

He nodded silently, " What happened to not talking to humans today? "

" You're not just a human," she said, one of her hands grabbing at fistfuls of his shirt in the way she only did when she was very worried or upset about something, " you're an honorary Time Lord if ever I saw one. "

He chuckled and they stayed like that for a moment, until Lily broke away. She stood in front of him and looked up at him, bringing one of her hands to her face. With one fingertip, she started at his forehead, and traced her finger lightly and slowly around one side of his face, stopping one his bottom lip, where she brought her hand to his forehead again and traced it around the other side of his face, once again stopping on his bottom lip. Jack kissed her fingertip, and she smiled, dropping her hand.

She knew Jack loved that, and she loved it too - it just felt so perfect.

" Now," she said lightly, " I suppose we'd better get a move on. "

Jack nodded, " It's going to be alright. "

The team all got into the back of Rhys van while Rhys drove them to the warehouse. There was very little conversation between them, and Lily knew they'd all be alright when this was over.

Lily sat on the floor in the back of the van, eyes wide open as she sat with her head against Jack's shoulder. She loved it when Jack wore his long military coat, and it just smelt of ... him. Those 51st century pheremones - brilliant.

The ride was mostly in silence until they knew they were nearing the warehouse.

They felt the van stop moving, and Jack stood up, offering out a hand to Lily and pulling her up too. He looked around at everyone, " Lily, Gwen, Tosh and I will take the main area. Owen and Ianto, cover the corridors and the small rooms. "

Lily smirked a little when she noticed that Jack had kept all the girls with him.

They got out of the van when Rhys said it was safe, and went where they needed to be. Lily walked with her chin up, and took a deep breath to steady herself when they entered the main room of the warehouse.

It was a huge room with several containers around the edges, and a huge wailing creature in the middle of the room. Lily almost stopped dead when she saw it - its cry was heartbreaking, and she stared at it, mouth slightly agape.

" It's amazing," Gwen said.

" Oh my God," Tosh muttered, as she and Gwen started to understand how Lily and Jack were so set on the saving the thing.

" Shh, shh, shh," Jack said, throwing an arm out to stop anyone going further when he heard a noise. The four of them hid behind a few large containers, and watched.

A distance away, workers who hadn't noticed the intruders, were by the creature. One of them swung back a huge meat cleaver and it made a dull thud as the creature moaned. The two men continued to hack at a large hole in the creature, and it moaned in pain at every thud. Lily's hand flew to her mouth in shock as she watched them and she hated it - she wanted to look away, but at the same time, she was too horrified to turn away.

She watched feeling distraught as they hacked away at the helpless, chained up creature.

After a moment, the two workers were coming towards them, both carrying a wheelbarrow full of the meat. Jack acted fast and zapped them both with his stun gun before anything could happen, and made quick work of dragging the bodies out of sight, meaning the Torchwood team now had the room free of themselves.

Certain they were alone, Lily darted out from behind the box and rushed towards the creature. She stopped in front of it and stared - it was huge, wailing and moaning in pain. She bit her lip as she looked at it, barely aware of the others behind her until she heard Jack speak sourly.

" Imprisoned, chained and drugged," he said, " welcome to planet earth. "

The creature's eye opened and it keened a different sort of noise, as if it was responding to Jack talking.

" It heard you," Tosh said softly.

Lily walked around the side of the creature and gasped. In the silence, Jack heard her quiet noise at once and followed her around. Lily was even more horrified as she saw the huge area where the workers had been cutting into the creature. She couldn't even believe what she was seeing, and she shook her head.

" That's disgusting," she heard Gwen say, though she didn't have the power to reply.

She couldn't believe people would be so heartless as to do this, and it shocked her right to the core. " What the hell have they done to you? " she whispered, putting her hand on the side of the creature gently, and trying to force away the tears that had formed in her eyes.

Jack joined her, lightly touching the creature, and it growled, trying to struggle against the chains, though it couldn't get anywhere.

" This is .... " Lily started, not sure how she was going to answer that, " this is terrible. I ... it's ... bloody humans. " She swallowed and removed her hand, wiping it down on her jeans as she continued to stare at the creature, " how could anyone do this, Jack? "

Jack didn't have chance to reply because Owen's voice came over the comms, " Everyone, they're armed. "

Lily's eyes widened and she looked around, not sure what they were going to do now.

" Rhys," Gwen muttered.

" No," Jack said simply.

" But Rhys! " Gwen said, shaking her head.

" Stay here," said Jack, more firmly this time.

Gwen touched the radio and asked, " Ianto? Ianto, I need to know if Rhys got away. "

Ianto agreed to find out and then the rest of the team were left in silence, looking around at the creature and waiting for their next move.

It seemed like forever that they sat there and waited and it wasn't easy. Lily wasn't sure that she'd ever seen an example of human evil quite like this, and she could do nothing but stare at the creature.

The next thing they heard, was Owen's voice. " They've got Rhys and Ianto. "

Lily sighed - this couldn't be going much worse. Gwen immediately turned and started to run, though Jack grabbed her arm and stopped her from moving, since he wanted them all to stick together.

" Hey," Jack said, " he'll be fine. He will. "

They all went for the door, but just before they rounded the corner, they saw that some of the workers were near the only door in the room, with Ianto and Rhys at gun points. Jack pointed towards the nearest huge containers and the four of them quickly hid behind them, out ofsight, peering over to see what was going on.

Lily sighed - trapped.

They couldn't hear exactly what was going on between Ianto, Rhys and the men who were keeping them captive, but they knew that they were all trapped, and there was little they could do. They heard the men demand to know who else was here - not believeing they were alone however heard Ianto and Rhys tried to convince them.

" We know you're in here! " one of the men shouted, " show yourselves! "

Jack looked at the girls and shook his head.

" Show yourselves or I shoot the delivery boy! " the man repeated.

Lily saw the look on Gwen's face and could tell what she was going to, and watched as the welsh woman stepped out into view before Jack could stop her.

" Okay! " Gwen shouted, as Lily shook her head - now they knew they were lying. It would only be a matter of time before they realised there were more people here. She tried to think of a way out, but if there was only one door, and there were people stood in front of, there was very little they could do about it.

" Just the two of you is it? " one of the men asked, glaring at Ianto and then at Gwen, " gun down and kick it over here. "

" I don't have a gun," lied Gwen.

" You must have," the man said, not fooled in the slightest, " he had one, so you will do! "

Gwen quickly shook her head and held up her gun, putting it on the floor and sliding it across to them. " Okay, okay, okay! "

The man in charge of it all, was talking loud enough for Lily and the others to hear, as he adressed Gwen, " Any more of you? And before you answer, think carefully, cause if you lie ... I will shoot you. "

There was a pause during which Lily was slightly intruiged, though Gwen wasn't going to stand down, " It's just me ... we can help you, Dale. "

Lily knew that if a man could treat this poor alien like that, then he'd have no trouble shooting Gwen or anyone else. She hated the thought of the creature being treated like this and all she wanted to do was hit the man who was doing this, and make him pay.

As she was contemplating this, a loud voice called out, " Dale! Three more over here! "

Lily looked up and cursed as she saw a man standing on a second floor catwalk above them, able to see everything in the room.

" Far corner! " the man on the catwalk shouted, " they can't possibly get out - there's no way out! "

Dale laughed coldly, " Kick out your weapons! Stand where I can see you! "

Lily sighed and exchanged an annoyed look with Jack. Jack shrugged, though he looked extremely annoyed, knowing there was nothing they could do, and they had no other choice. He quickly planted a kiss on Lily's forehead and looked at her " Don't do anything stupid," he said, " please? "

She pulled a face, " I'm afraid I can't make that promise. "

" Lily! " Jack hissed, " don't go getting yourself shot - please, can't you promise _me_ you won't get shot. "

" Fine," she said, " I promise I won't get shot. "

Jack looked quite relieved, " So you promise you won't go around acting like a madwoman? "

Lily shook her head, " Oh no, I can't promise you _that. "_

Jack sighed, knowing he couldn't ptu it off any longer, and knowing that he wasn't going to get any sense out of Lily. He stepped out into the view of the others and holding his gun in the air, tossed it aside.

Lily followed at once as did Tosh.

" You know what you've got here Dale? " Jack asked loudly as they stood without their weapons, Ianto, Rhys and Gwen stood together a few metres away from them.

" Shut up now! " Dale shouted.

Lily decided to take over. She stepped forwards, a few steps in front of Jack, and took over, " It's an alien," she told them, " a creature from another world. It came through a rift in time and space and the poor thing was unlucky enough to find the likes of you. "

" No way," the other man - Vic - said, sounding completely freaked out, though Lily had no sympathy for him.

" Oh yes," she nodded, " come on man, think about it! Do you really think it's from this planet? When have you ever seen anything like this lying around? Just look at it, you fool! "

The more Vic and Dale looked at it, the more they seemed to completely freak out about it, not believeing what they were seeing, maybe not fully understanding what they'd done

" It's just meat! " said Dale, shaking his head.

" It's more than just meat! " Lily said, moving forwards, voice rising in volume as Jack held his breath and hoped Lily wasn't going to do anything stupid," what meat do you know that's going to scream as you hack it up? It's _alive! _Look at it, for God's sake! This is a living creature, with feelings and everything - and you're carving it up! Please, think about what you're doing? You're butchering it alive - what kind of monsters does that make you? You've got to stop this! "

" And then what have I got?" Dale asked, pointing his gun in her direction though she didn't even blink, " I'm making money. This is my business. "

" You're despicable," she told him, " you're doing this for business? Business!" There was a silence but lily quickly broke it, ranting on again, " you're hurting something you don't understand and you don't even care, because it's for _your personal gain? _Are you _serious?_ I am _really _ashamed of you people sometimes! "

" But I've actually got something for myself! " Dale told her.

She didn't have a reply for that and she stood there, glaring, slowly folding her arms over her cheat, before she took a breath and said, " You're going to stop this. Because you know what? You've made a very big mistake in thinking you can do this without anering anyone else. If you're smart, you'll know the one thing you don't want to anger, is me. You're a pathetic excuse for a human being and you're going to stop this, because I say so. "

There was a much longer pause, during which Lily thought she could spot Ianto trying to untie the hands that were tied together behind his back, and at the end of which, she still hadn't gotten through to Dale.

" No," he said, before turning to Rhys, " You lied to me. "

He'd realised the connection between he and Gwen, and shoved his gun in Gwen's direction, though Rhys acted fast and pulled Gwen out of the way, replacing her.

Dale fired anyway.

Ianto had managed to get loose and Lily also darted towards Dale as Rhys slid to the ground, injured, Gwen at his side. Ianto was wretling Dale for the gun, but getting nowhere. Lily was at Ianto's side and felt so angered by this Dale and everything that he'd done, that she reached out a hand and tried to get in for the gun.

It fired several times as the three of them grappled for it, Lily determined to get what she wanted, and part of the chain holding the creature down was broken, making the creature thrashing around while the other men tried to run out of the room.

Dale managed to shove Ianto and Lily away, and run around the side of the creature, but neither of them were having any of it and chased after him. Gwen was with Rhys and Tosh and Jack were trapped by the creature thrashing around in front of them, and coulnd't help them.

Ianto grabbed Dale and held him back, swinging his arm back and hitting him in the back several times. Lily was determined that he wouldn't get away, and she made a grab for him, though he pushed her away, too violently in the heat of the moment.

She stumbled backwards, but caught herself and remained upright, only more angry.

She lunged for Dale, and at the same time, Ianto did, and Dale was knocked to the floor. Lily realised that her lip was bleeding from where he'd shoved her, but she didn't care. Dale grabbed her ankle and pulled her over, and she hit the floor hard, though she turned to him, and lunged for him.

He was laughing, and as she thought about the creature and the way it had been treat, the anger bouled over, and she hit him straight across the face, straddling on top of him, and hitting him again.

He pushed her off him, and got to his feet, pulling out his gun and pushing Ianto hard in the chest, shoving him to the ground too, and then pointing his gun at both of them.

Lily knew they were stuck but she knew she'd be alright, because she had all of her regenerations. Ianto on the other hand, wouldn't be alright, if he was shot in certain places. Lily looked at Ianto and didn't hesitate in moving across on the ground and trying to sit in front of him, trying to protect him - it was the way it had always been with she and her dad - they always protected the humans.

" Die! " Dale yelled, as Lily tried to make Ianto get behind her, throwing her arms out and closing her eyes.

She heard a click, and the gun fired though she felt nothing. She opened her eyes only to find that the gun had been empty, and Dale through it aside.

" Ianto! " Jack shouted as the pair of them got to their feet, " get after him! Lily - over here, and that's an order! "

Ianto hurried off, and Lily looked after them, contemplating following, but then looked to the other side, seeing Jack there, and seeing Owen, coming through the door and onto the scene, and seeing the poor creature.

She made her way back over to Jack, ducking and weaving around the creature that was thrashing around.

As she got to Jack, who was standing a little way off Tosh, Gwen and Rhy, he immediately reached out and wrapped his arms around her.

" You stupid girl," he said, hugging her tightly, not wanting to ever let go, " you could have died! You didn't have to hit him, did you? "

" You would have done," Lily mumbled.

" Yeah, but I'll always come back to life! " pointed out Jack, " you might not! You stupid girl! I'm not ready for you to die on me. "

" I'd come back to life," Lily shrugged.

" No," Jack said, pulling away from the hug, and putting his hands on her shoulders as he looked at her, bringing a thumb to wipe away the blood at her lip, and frowning, " you can't talk like that. You might be able to regenerate if it didn't kill you instantly. If he'd shot you in the head, it'd have been too quick. You'd be gone. And I wouldn't be able to face that. Do you know how hard it is, knowing that if anything happens to you, I'll still be here? I won't even be able to kill myself. "

Lily was shocked to see how serious Jack was and there was almost a tear in his eye.

He sighed and then gathered her up in his arms again, hugging her as tight as he possibly could, burying his face against her hair.

" I'm sorry," she said," but I promised you I wouldn't get shot, didn't I? "

Jack rolled his eyes and he held her, " What am I going to do with you, baby? "

Lily smiled, now knowing he wasn't mad - just very worried and very concerned for what might have happened to her - because he'd called her baby. He never called her baby when he was mad

She smirked as he pulled away again and looked at her, " Guess you'll have to teach me a lesson, tiger. "

Jack smirked too, but then caught himself, as he heard the creature wail as another of its chains broke free, " Time and a place," he told Lily, before winking at her, " though we're definitley on for later. "

Lily turned to look at the creature, suddenly getting serious again. The part that had come loose was near Jack and Lily, and if the next chain came undone, it would be near Gwen, Rhys and the others, and could crush them.

Lily knew what they were going to have to do,but she was still determined to help the creature. She hoped it might be alright if they sedated it a little, just to make it calm down.

" Owen! " she cried, shouting at him frantically, " make it calm down! "

Owen held up a loaded container and made his way towards the creature slowly, stabbing it with the pump. The creature whined and reared up before slamming back down to the ground.

It continued to growl, and Lily gapsed, watching it, worried about it.

" Owen! " Jack yelled, clinging to Lily's arm in the hope she wouldn't do anything stupid.

" You're making it worse! " Lily shouted, all serious again, " we've got to help it! "

Owen looked at her and then at the creature, before stabbing it with the pump again. Lily held her breath as she watched it, and ater a moment, the creature started to calm down, giving Lily and Jack the chance to scuttle around it to Gwen, Rhys, and Tosh.

Rhys was slumped on the ground, Gwen at his side, his eyes half closed.

As Gwen demanded that Rhys keep his eyes open, Lily could only focus ont he creature. She prayed it would be alright, and she watched with bated breath as it settled down, struggling less and less, and wailed pitifully.

" It's working," Owen said, stepping back to join the others, kneeling beside Rhys.

" What did you do? " Jack asked.

" Mercy killing," Owen said, looking up at Jack and then settling his eyes on Lily, apologetically, as she glared down at him.

" Killing," she repeated in a whisper, " that's not ... " her eyes filled with tears and she looked away from Owen, and back at the creature, " that's not what I wanted. "

She glanced at Jack, who was similarly horrified by it, and obviously devasted. She looked back at the creature and then moved forward, suddenly unaware of absolutely anything else but she and this amazing creature that had been destroyed.

She put her hand to the flesh of the poor creature and tears fell down her cheeks at an alarming rate as she stood there. She let the tears fall in grief as she cried for the unfortunate thing, and for all the other creatures that had had to die over the many years.

The wails became less and less and she was aware of a distraught Owen beside her, apologising again and again to the creature, even though it would never hear him as all cries stopped and the large eye slowly closed.

When she knew it was dead, Lily could still only cry. Owen went back to sorting Rhys out and Ianto returned after a while, a gun in his hand and the men responsible at gun point.

Lily watched sorrowfully as Jack forced the men to take the little white tablets that would make them forget, and still her hand remained on the dead creature. The tears stopped, leaving lines down her cheeks, and leaving her feeling deflated.

Back at the hub an hour later, Gwen was with Rhys, who was still asleep, Tosh and Ianto were also in the autopsy bay, while Jack was in his office and claimed he was looking for something. Lily had accepted this as Jack needing time on is own and she didn't interrupt him - she knew if he wanted her, he'd be with her, so she allowed him the space. Besides, she needed it too.

She was sitting on her desk, away from everyone else, thinking about the creature.

She closed her eyes, and bowed her head as she thought about it. She frowned a little when she heard footsteps and felt someone approaching her - it wasn't Jack. She knew it wasn't Jack, because he wore smart shoes that made a noise as he walked, this noise was more like soft trainers.

" Lily? "

" Owen? " she said, confused as she looked up, opening her eyes to see him standing there, looking sorry, " what's going on? "

Owen shrugged, " Rhys has woken up now, so Gwen's happy. Jack's talking to her in the office now. I suppose she'll have to retcon Rhys. "

Lily nodded, " Yeah," she said, sliding off the desk and standing up, " what did you want me for, anyway? You didn't come to tell me that Rhys has woken up or that Gwen's happy, because you know I wouldn't be overly bothered about either right now. "

" No," Owen said, keeping his chin up as he spoke to her, " I wanted to .... apologise. "

Lily was suprised by the rare show of weakness in Owen - he was usually so hard and strong, that she didn't catch him being emotional or upset, though he certain looked affected right now.

" Don't apologise," she said, shaking her head.

" No," he continued, " you made it pretty clear that you wanted this creature to be kept alive and you wanted to help it, yet I went and killed it ... I just .... "

Lily shook her head, though she couldn't stop the tear that fell, " No. There was other option. It was brave of you to kill it when it was such a hard thing for you to do. "

Owen nodded, though he too looked upset, trying to remain calm.

Another tear from down Lily's cheek and she tried to be strong and wave it away, but it wasn't happening. She muttered an apology to Owen, but he wouldn't hear of it, and she was suprised when he reached out and hugged her, needing the comfort every bit as much as she did.

No more tears fell and they stayed in a solid embrace for a few moments.

Lily felt Owen shudder a little at the thought of what he'd done, and she rubbed his back, " It was the only option," she reminded him, " it was going to come loose. It would have crushed us all. "

Owen didn't reply and after another long moment, they broke away.

Lily smiled weakly, her hand on Owen's arm.

"You're just a big softy really, aren't you? " she teased him.

" Don't you dare tell anyone," Owen said, trying to shake off all the bad feeling and make everything better, " I've got a reputation. "

Lily chuckled lightly, and the close moment between them was over as they went back to the teasing half-friendship they had. Lily rolled her eyes and him and he smirked a little.

Their attention was grabbed by Jack's office door opening, and Gwen leaving. Lily saw Jack lingering in the door, and not five minutes later, Gwen and Rhys had left the hub, Gwen carrying the retcon tablets she had to give Rhys.

It was only ten minuteds later when Lily and Jack were stood by Lily's desk, talking, while Ianto, Owen and Tosh were at their workstations too. An alarm blared to signal someone entering the hub, and the cog door turned open.

Lily rolled her eyes when she saw Gwen storming through the door.

" Great," she muttered, " just when we thought we'd gotten rid of her. "

" Behave," Jack said in a low warning voice, a little amused by his girlfriend's words, giving her a light tap on the bum before striding forwards the meet Gwen in the middle of the main area.

Lily blushed a little, but then strode forward too, as the rest of the team waited for Gwen to say whatever was bothering hair.

Gwen didn't hold back, " I'm not doing it! I won't drug him! "

" You have to," Tosh replied automatically.

" We can't allow him to remember," Owen said.

" It's for the best," Lily nodded.

" It's the rules," Ianto agreed.

Gwen was having none of it, and Lily rolled her eyes in annoyance as Gwen continued, " But none of you have partners outside this! Even you Jack, you might have Lily, but she's part of this. It's not like you're keeping secrets. "

" But we understand," Jack said.

" No, no you don't," Gwen said, shaking her head, " You don't, Jack. You all think it's cold and lonely out there, but it isn't for me, because I have him. I've got him, Jack. And I love him! "

" Hey! " Lily said, moving forwards, outraged by the way Gwen seemed to be rubbing her love for Rhys at Jack, as if she expected Jack to be bothered, " yeah, we get it, you love him. So what? You don't need to tell Jack twenty times. We _know. _And I love _Jack. _And Jack loves _me. "_

Gwen looked at Lily, " What's wrong with you? I don't understand you. "

" Oh for God's sake," Lily said, rolling her eyes, " stop trying to make Jack care about you, and stop trying to make him jealous. I don't know what went on between you and him before I got here, and quite frankly, I don't care, but I think you need to be reminded of what's going on here. I'm never going to stop loving Jack, and I'll be here long after you've gone. You've got Rhys. I suggest you stick to him. Now go home and retcon him so you can carry on with your life together. "

There was silence in the hub as every looked at Lily, all stunned by her outburst, as she let all her feelings come to boil - making it very clear that she thought Gwen was after Jack.

Gwen shook her head at Lily, " No. You're deluded. I .... I don't want Jack. I ... I love Rhys. " She looked around the everyone else, " I love him and he matters! I've lied to him for long enough! What he died today was so brave. Braver than any of us, because we signed up for this, but he didn't. And I won't take that away from him! I won't! And if that means I have to quit, or you could retcon me, then fine. Fine. Fine. "

Jack shook his head, moving closer to Gwen, " You really think you could go back to your old life? Before Torchwood? "

" I wouldn't know any different," Gwen told him.

" Torchwood needs you," Jack replied, staring Gwen down.

They continued to stare at each other until Jack relented, " Give Rhys my love, and I will see you tomorrow. "

Gwen was gone right away, and when the cog door shut behind her, Jack turned to Lily. Lily thought he was about to be very mad at her for her outburst, which had shocked her as much as it had anyone else.

Instead he looked at her for a moment, while the others watched, intruiged, and then shook his head, a slow grin forming, " You're impossible, you know that? "

" You're not mad that I annoyed Gwen? " Lily asked.

Jack shrugged, " I'm sure the pair of you will get over it - it's been an emotional day, after all. And ... " he paused with a slight grin, " It's quite hot when you get all possessive over me. Makes me feel wanted, at least. "

Lily grinned, moving closer to him, " So, you're not going to punish me for starting arguments with the rest of the staff? I thought as the boss, you'd have been quite angry. "

Jack smirked and laid a hand on her hip, leaning in. His mouth was so close and after a difficult day, all Lily wanted was to be close to him. She thought he was going to kiss her, but instead, he whispered in her ear.

" I didn't say I wasn't going to deal with you," he said, making her knees almost weak as he whispered in her ear, " I think you'll have to be appropriately disciplined. "

Lily bit down on her lip and asked him, " How? "

He simply smirked and pulled away a little, looking at the rest of the team, " You can all go home! " he told them before giving Lily a wicked grin.

Later that same night, Lily lay curled up against Jack, in their bed, a smile across her face, while Jack also grinned widely, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

She moved closer against him and as they lay there, all of their problems seemed to go away.

" Well," she said, a slight smirk evident under the smile, " you certainly showed me. "

Jack grinned allowing the hand that lay on her back to wander lower, " Just for the record," he said, as Lily pulled away from him a little and rolled over in the bed until she was straddling him, " nothing ever happened between Gwen and I. I must prefer female time lords. Though they're in pretty short supply. "

Lily grinned and leaned down to kiss him.

**Author's Note: The Doctor should be making an appearance in the next chapter because it seems like too big a jump to wait until the Doctor's Daughter/Sontaran Strategem, which is going to come after the whole Martha at Torchwood and Owen dying thing. I don't think they'd go that long without seeing each other so he'll be up next.  
-I'm thinking I'll put the Unicorn and the Wasp in the next chapter because I want something that could be a bit more lighthearted than this and the last chapter. I know it comes quite late in DW series 4, but I don't think anyone will mind if I change where it comes.**

**-And since this is AU, I'm thinking about altering the series finale, to work around Tosh ad Owen's death and maybe stop them both dying. Any thoughts?  
-Also, I need a name Lily can call Jack, since he usually calls her baby. I used babe in this chapter, but I don't know if it works. I quite fancy Tiger too. Any better ideas?**


	7. The Unicorn and the Wasp

**Diclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I know the Unicorn and the Wasp came quite late in the DW series 4, but I moved it earlier because it was quite lighthearted at times, and I needed something that wasn't too heavy for Lily and the Doctor's first meeting since she joined Torchwood.**

**Also, thanks for all the reviews and your ideas - definitley given me things to think about. Especially thanks to those who suggested pet names for Jack, though I still had trouble deciding, so I had to pick one on impulse. I was going to go for Tiger, but the suggestion I got last swung it for me - it's quite cute. So I think I'll have Tiger, and the new name, if everyone likes it.**

**And sorry for the quality of some of this - I was writing it quite fast because I wanted to move on with the chapter - it doesn't actually do much in terms of plot development, and I didn't need to write every detail of what happens in the episode.**

Chapter Seven

It was a couple of days after the incident with the meat, and nothing much was going on in the hub. Owen, Gwen and Tosh were in the main area pretending to do paperwork, while Ianto was at his desk _actually_ doing paperwork.

Lily sat at her desk, a pen in her mouth, when she decided enough was enough. She had a report to finish, but she decided it could wait. She crossed the room with a smile on her face and knocked on the office of Jack's door lightly, pushing it open without waiting for an answer.

Jack looked up at her, his eyes lighting up a little, but he put a finger to his lips, as he was on the phone. She walked forwards quietly, and perched herself on the edge of his desk.

Jack looked serious, as he clutched the reciever.

" No," he said, as Lily watched him curiously, " we never got that email .... no ... no, I'm certain of it .... you _haven't _sent it, and we _need it. "_

Jack sighed deeply and mouthed "UNIT" at Lily. She nodded and reached out a hand, raising her eyebrows. Jack paused but then nodded and spoke back into the phone, " I'm sorry - could I pass this on to someone else? Don't you usually talk to Lily? "

Since Lily and her dad had encountered UNIT several times, Lily usually handled most of the calls from them, since she was known to them, and since she'd been doing it for over a month now, she knew who was likely to be on the other end of the phone. The man she usually spoke to was a middle aged man who she tried to flirt with to get her way.

Lily took the reciever from Jack as he mouthed a "thanks". She smiled and spoke down the phone, " Hello, that'll be Steven, will it? "

He replied in the affirmative and she laughed. She managed to end the phone call in under a minute, putting on a more sultry voice and telling him she'd be very very grateful if UNIT could send the email and the information again, because there must have been a mistake.

She tossed the phone back to Jack with a grin, and he hung up promptly.

" Easy," she shrugged.

Jack sighed, closing his eyes a little. " That's the third time they've been on to me this week," Jack said with a frown, " they've got someone new in their office and the man's useless. Keeps losing things and trying to blame everyone else. Had the police onto us as well .... I wish they could solve their own problems sometimes. "

Lily smiled at him, watching the way he sat with a frown, eyes closed. She stood up and moved around him, standing behind his chair and putting her hands on his shoulders lightly. She started rubbing, trying to make him better - all she ever wanted was to make Jack's life the best she possibly could, and make everything go away.

" Don't worry so much," she told him, rubbing at his shoulders, bringing her lips down to plant a kiss on the top of his head, " you're too tense. "

" It's this job," he told her, " I love the field work, not so much the office work. "

She smiled, rubbing his shoulders still, trying to ease away the tension, " Let it all go," she told him, " it's not important. Not really. " She leant down and left a gentle kiss in his hair again, followed by another, " my kitten. "

Jack turned around a little to look at her, " What? "

She smiled, dropping her hands from his shoulders and coming to sit on his desk, " Kitten," she repeated, " That's my name for you now. Don't you like it? "

He shrugged, " What happened to Tiger? That was all masculine and strong ... but ... kitten?"

She shook her head with a smile, " _I_ like it. I wanted a name for you, and I think it's perfect. Don't get me wrong, I like Tiger too, but Kitten's adorable. "

She reached out with one hand and starting at his forehead, traced light lines around his face. He smiled, his eyes flickering - he always loved the way her skin felt against his, and he loved the small intimate moments between them.

Lily smiled gently, her fingertip stopping on Jack's lower lip, where it lingered. " My kitten," she said softly, " my gorgerous sexy kitten. "

Jack was watching her, completely transfixed, and then he smiled, kissing the tip of her finger. She grinned and removed her finger from his lips, allowing her hand to slide down past his shoulder and down his torso until she got to his lap and she picked up one of his hands.

He clasped her hand and raised his eyebrow, " C'mon then," he said, " why kitten? "

She shook her head with a playful smile, " I told you already - no. You can think about it - I think it's quite apt. "

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, but Lily shrugged, about to say something when there was a loud ringing noise. She looked at Jack, who shrugged, and when realised it was her own phone. She reached into the pockets and pulled out her mobile, smiling when she saw "Dad" on the screen.

They'd spoken quite a few times since they'd parted ways, but not met up. Whenever they spoke up, one was always busy saving someone or running from something, and they hadn't been able to arrange a proper meeting yet.

She flipped it open with a grin, " Hi Dad. "

" Hello Lily," came her dad's voice, making her smile more, while Jack sat back in his chair, watching her, " how are you? Not too busy, I hope? "

" No," Lily said, " we're fine, I'm fine, and what's more I have absolutely nothing to do today. "

" That's a coincidence," the Doctor's voice sounded, " because I'm in the TARDIS, wondering where Donna and I can go next. How's Cardiff this time of year? "

Lily grinned, " You're coming here? Oh, brilliant. "

The Doctor also sounded as though he was grinning, " I thought I'd drop by and see you. It's weird not having you around, and if I know you, you're missing me and the TARDIS as much as we miss you. Maybe we could go off somewhere? Jack could come too, if he fancies it. "

Lily nodded eagerly, " Hold on," she said, putting the phone away from her ear as she looked at Jack, " Dad wants to drop by and take me somewhere. I can be spared here, right? What about you? Do you want in? "

Jack shrugged, " Why not? Provided he gets us back for not long after we left, we could both go. "

Lily grinned and put the phone to her ear again, " We're ready and waiting, Dad. "

She told the Doctor what date they were on, and he promised to be there promptly. When she hung up, Lily was so excited, if a little worried that he might get the timing wrong and not get to them until 6 months later or something.

She stood up and grabbed her trenchcoat from where she kept it on Jack's coat stand in the corner. She threw her coat on as quickly as possible and checked her pockets - psychic paper, spanner, that was all she needed, she decided. She threw open the office door Jack called after her.

" Lily! Lily, wait up! "

Lily turned back at the door and shook her head at him, " I'm sorry, I'm just so excited. I love it here, but I can't wait to go in the TARDIS again. I'm going to go to the bay and meet my dad. "

Jack followed her out of the office, and as Lily crossed to the cog door, ready to leave, the rift alarm blared, and Tosh shouted over to Jack. Lily sighed and looked at Jack, who crossed the room to look at the rift monitor

" Small activity," he told Lily, " don't worry about it. "

Lily wasn't sure if he was telling her the truth or just telling her it because he knew how happy it would make her to be with her dad, but she smiled at him and left the hub.

Once she was outside, she was waiting at the bay, biting down on her lip and hoping he'd be here soon. Her dad doted on her, and he never let her down (except for once ) so all she could do was have faith in him.

She looked around, awaiting the familiar noise, and she grinned when she felt the TARDIS key in her pocket grew warmer. It got so hot that it was almost glowing through her coat pocket, and she looked around eagerly.

The noise - one of her favourite noises ever - sounded and she could see the TARDIS coming into view, a short way off. She ran across the millenium square until she stopped just in front of the blue box, staring up at it and waiting for it to finish materialising.

The door opened and there stood her dad.

He was there in his striped suit, with his messy dark hair, wide dark eyes, and cheeky grin.

" Fancy meeting you here," he said.

She laughed and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She'd always been very close to her dad, and a daddy's girl from birth, and that wasn't about to change, even if she didn't travel with him any more.

He grinned and hugged her to him, one arm tightly around her middle and the other smoothing down her hair. She smiled happily and buried her face against his chest - she'd never quite gotten used to the fact that this regeneration was much taller than the last.

" It's so good to see you," she said, voice muffled against his body, " it's been a month, did you know that? "

The Doctor kissed the top of his daughter's head, holding her to him, " Guess this is what happens when we're both busy. How's it going at Torchwood, anyway? "

They broke apart and Lily grinned, " It's good. Really good. There's so much to get done, and the rest of the team are brilliant - more or less. Ianto's here, you know. Obviously not the parallel one though. Then there's Owen, the doctor. And Tosh - we met her in London. You remember the first encounterr with the Slitheen and there was a space pig and we met Tosh and - "

The Doctor grinned at her enthusiasm and held up a hand, " Woah there," he said, " _calm. "_

Lily stopped and grinned, " Oh Dad, it's amazing. Hard work, sometimes draining, but I'm so glad I'm here. "

The Doctor grinned and offered out his arm, " Are you going to take me to see your Torchwood then? "

Lily looked at him but then turned away from his arm and hurried into the TARDIS, telling him she needed to see this first. She grinned at the sight of it and ran to the console, running her hand over it and stopping to stroke parts of it.

" Hello old girl," she smiled, touching the console, only for it to light up at the touch. She smiled and turned ot see her dad watching her with a smile too.

The double doors to the rest of the TARDIS opened, and a familiar red head came bursting through, " Oi spaceboy! " she called, making Lily smile wider, " where are we? "

" Donna! " Lily grinned, crossing the console room and reaching out to hug a very suprised Donna, " good to see you again! I hope you're looking after my Dad - God knows he can't be left to his own devices. "

" I _am _here," the Doctor cried from behind them.

Lily laughed, turning to face him.

" So, where are we? " Donna asked the Doctor, " you told me Lily was with her boyfriend, but you didn't tell me where that was. "

" Of course I did," said the Doctor, rolling his eyes, " you just didn't listen. I _told _you she was working in Cardiff with the boyfriend. Working with aliens - that's my girl. Come on, Donna, Lily's going to take us to Torchwood. "

Lily walked across to her dad and slid her arm through his, " You have to promise me you won't do anything stupid though," she said, " I have to work with this people every day. You can just come in here, do what you want, and go. "

As the three of them left the TARDIS and the Doctor locked the door behind them, the Doctor tutted at his daughter, " You lack of faith in your faith in your father is really astonishing, Lils. "

She giggled as they started to walk towards the water tower.

" How are you? " the Doctor asked, walking between Donna and Lily, only adressing Lily, " I mean, how are you _really? _The last time I saw you, you'd ... well, after everything that happened on the Valiant .... "

Lily winced a little at the thought of it, but swallowed hard, " No," she said, " it's hard, but Jack's been so good for me. I ... " she sighed, with a smile, " I could never have asked him to stick with me after what happened that year, but he did. And he's perfect. "

The Doctor smiled, " Good. Only the best for my little girl. "

Donna chuckled, " What's this guy like then? He sounds pretty amazing - is he good looking? "

Lily looked at Donna and then grinned, her imagination makin her get carried away, managing to ignore her father's precense even if she was clinging to his arm, " Oh yeah. Gotta be the most charming, best looking man I've ever met, without a doubt. And _I _once had a rather memorable encounter with Giacomo Casanova. "

" You did? " the Doctor asked, suddenly staring down at her.

Lily bit her lip and then blushed heavily when she realised her dad had never known about this, " Um ... maybe," she muttered.

The Doctor was staring at her in a mixture of shock and annoyance, " You ... you and him? When? We were in Venice for _one _day! " That was what confused him the most - the pair of them had gone to a party in Venice where Casanova happened to be, but they'd only been there several hours - nothing had actually gone wrong and there were no aliens involved.

Lily shrugged, staring at the ground, still blushing, " He ... I was young and foolish! He was a fast worker! "

The Doctor groaned and rolled his eyes, " So _that's _what you were doing while I danced with the pretty young ladies of Venice. "

Lily remained silent as they walked and after a moment, cleared her throat, trying to change the subject, " So, where have you two been recently? "

The Doctor stared at her for a moment but then shook his head and started to talk, " We've been to - no, I'm sorry - you and Casa-bloody-nova?! I'm going to go back and kill him. "

" Don't be stupid," Lily said, rolling her eyes, " and for God's sake don't tell Jack. "

Lily suddenly stopped walking, and the Doctor looked at her in suprise, as did Donna. " We're just going to stand here? " asked Donna, looking around expectantly, only to gasp when the block they were standing on started to move.

" Oh, this is brilliant," the Doctor said, with such enthusiasm, " this is the entrance? Brilliant. "

As the block descended, Lily couldn't wait for her Dad to meet the rest of the team, and she couldn't wait to find out where they were going to go - it would be just like how it used to be - not that she didn't enjoy her life at Torchwood.

She listened to Donna gasping in shock at everything and she was more than happy to join in with her dad ranting about everything he could see, and pointing out everything, asking her all sorts of questions and he pointed around.

When the block reached the bottom, the Doctor was looking around in awe, while Lily grinned at him. She stepped off the block and walked towards the main area, where Tosh was sitting at her workstation, checking the computers, while Owen leaned over her shoulder, looking at the screen, and Jack stood with them, a hand pressed to his comms.

" Jack! " Lily called, as she walked towards them, " I brought us some visitors!"

Jack turned around and grinned when he saw the Doctor, ignoring whatever task he had to do. He walked to the Doctor and took his hand, embracing him solidly. The Doctor clapped a hand to the other man's back.

" Good to see you, Jack," the Doctor said as they seperated, " amazing place you've got here. And I trust you're looking after Lily? "

Jack nodded, " Of course. Though she's proving that she can handle herself. " His eyes wandered over to Donna and he grinned, " And who might you be? "

Donna looked thrilled at Jack adressing her and moved forwards, offering out her hand, as she looked him up and down, " Donna Noble," she said.

Jack grinned and took her hand, bringing it to his lips and planting a kiss on the back of her hand.

" You know," Jack told Donna with that cheeky grin, " I always had a thing for redheads. "

This was news to Lily and she cleared a throat in Jack's direction, tugging on a lock of her stick straight black hair.

Jack shrugged, " What? I can't help it! " Though that gorgeous smile and the spark in his eyes told her he was lying about it. Lily swatted a hand at Jack's arm playfully and he snatched up her hand and stuck his tounge out at her.

She giggled and then saw Owen and Tosh watching the four of them, while Gwen and Ianto were absent. As she heard her dad congratulate Jack on the hub, she smiled at Tosh and Owen and signalled for them to come over.

" Where's Gwen and Ianto? " she asked as Tosh stood beside her.

" Out," Tosh said, " gone to pick up whatever's come through the rift. "

" So this is the Doctor then? " Owen asked, nudging Lily's elbow, " another one from outer space? "

The Doctor grinned, " That's me. The Doctor. And you must be Doctor Owen Harper? "

Owen looked slightly suprised at being adressed by his name, but simply nodded, not really knowing what to say to the man. Tosh on the other hand was looking at him in confusion.

" You're the Doctor? " she asked, frowning a little, " but ... I met the Doctor in London. Lily, this isn't the same man. "

The Doctor shook his head, " No, I'm him. I'm literally the same man with a different face and body. Little Time Lord trick - didn't Lily explain everything? "

Owen shrugged, nudging Lily, " Nah, she was too busy showing off about the places she's been to. "

Lily rolled her eyes and as the Doctor started showing off as he spoke to Tosh and Owen - Tosh in complete awe, and Owen interested however much he tried to pretend he wasn't - she moved over to Tosh's rift monitors. She stopped by the computers and looked over at them, trying to observe the rift activity there.

There was a sudden hand on her shoulder but she didn't flinch, only lookin down at the long slender fingers attached to her father's arm.

" What's going on? " he asked her.

She shrugged, " Beats me," as she looked over at Jack, who was watching her with the soft smile that was reserved only for her. Jack told her that the rift activity was minimal, and it was probably just some artefact that had slipped through, which Gwen and Ianto had gone to pick up.

Lily pouted as she looked at Jack, " Not that I don't love everything we've got here, Jack, but I really wanted to go time travelling. Or space travelling. "

Jack grinned at her, " Then let's go. I'm sure the team can manage without us for a little bit. "

But he'd spoken too soon and Lily groaned when she saw Jack touch his earpiece, listen to the voice on the other end, and then immediately frown. When he thanked Ianto, he looked back at Lily with a pout.

" Weevils," he said, " two or three of them, apparently. I should probably get out there. Tosh, can you track them down for us? Owen, maybe you'd better come to. " Lastly, he looked at Lily, " you just go with your dad, and have fun," he told her, " you'll be back before I know it, right? I can handle a few weevils. No problem. "

Lily tilted her head to the side as she looked at him, " You sure? I ... I don't want to leave you here, chasing them. What if - "

" No," Jack said, crossing the room and putting his hands on her waist lightly, " don't worry about it. There's been plenty of weevils, and I've always come out alright. It's not your job to fuss over me - I'm always alright. "

Lily paused, but then saw the logic and nodded, " Yeah," she said, as he leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek, " it's just one trip," she told him.

" Better be," he said softly, " look after yourself. "

Lily shrugged as he kissed her cheek again and then she grinned at her dad, and told him they'd best be going. The Doctor said his goodbyes to everyone and he and Jack shared another hug, with Jack telling the Doctor he'd better have Lily back sometime in the very near future.

" Don't get yourself shot," Jack shouted as she walked away from him, towards the concrete block, and he started pulling his jacket on, ready to make his own exit, " or stabbed. Or eaten. Or poisoned. Oh, and don't kiss anyone. And don't get yourself - "

" I'll be fine, kitten," Lily said, turning around to grin at him, " honestly, if you worry about me any more, you'll turn into a big mother hen. " She secretly loved it when he got all protective and fussed over her, because it showed how much he really cared, even if it annoyed her that he was so protective and ever-worried about her, but he didn't like it when she was worried about him.

" Hey! "

" I'm serious," she told him with a grin, " I'm seeing yellow feathers and a beak. "

Jack sighed in mock exasperation, " Fine then," he said," excuse me for caring about you. "

She saluted him as she, Donna and the Doctor stood on the concrete block and it started to rise.

" Have fun," he called, winking at her.

_TW TW TW TW_

" You two are so cute together," Donna told Lily as the Doctor set the TARDIS in motion, " I don't suppose he's got a really fit brother just hanging around? "

Lily smirked a little, " Sorry, you're out of luck. And whatever you do, you can't ever tell Jack what you think of him - his ego's big enough as it is. I'm often suprised me, him, and his ego can fit in one room. "

" Not to mention your ego," the Doctor scoffed.

Lily pointed an accusing finger at him, " Don't you dare. Whatever I am is down to my genes or my environment - both of which are down to you. So whatever way you look at it, you're responsible for my faults. Not to mention the fact that you've a _much _bigger ego than I have. "

The Doctor sighed, " I'd forgotten what it's like to have you around. Always taking the mic out of me. "

She shrugged, " It's not taking the mic, Daddy, it's banter. "

" Daddy? " he asked, stepping towards her as the TARDIS started to land, with the familiar whoosing noise, " oooh, you _must _be after something. "

" So cyncial," she sighed, before turning to the doors. She grinned, looking over her shoulder at her dad, " Where are we? " she asked him, " somewhere brilliant, right? "

He shrugged, " Probably. I set it for a mystery tour. Take a look. "

Lily grinned, " I've missed this," she said, before flinging open the doors. She looked around and stepped out gingerly, looking around eagerly.

It was a bright, sunny day, and the leaves on the trees blew in a warm wind. She looked around and saw they were in the large gardens of what looked like a large English manor. She smiled at the sight of it and sniffed the air, turning to look at the other two, who'd come out after her.

" Grass, lemonade and just a little bit of mint," Lily said, looking at her dad with raised eyebrows.

He nodded, " Just a hint to mint - must be the 1920s. "

" You can tell what year it is by smelling? " Donna asked, suprised, making Lily wonder how many adventures they'd been on so far, and how well they knew each other yet.

" Oh yeah," the Doctor nodded.

Donna frowned, pointing a finger down the drive, " Or maybe it's that vintage car coming down the drive, that gave it away. "

Lily scoffed and looked at her dad, who looked quite put out at being proved wrong. She smiled and he rolled her eyes, before offering out one arm. She readily slipped her arm through his as the three of them contendedly walked up the drive, Lily so excited to be back in the past, time travelling, doing what she loved.

They got to the building and the Doctor pulled them around a corner as two figures approached. A well dressed professional looking man, and a middle aged reverend, were met at the frontdoor of the manor hosue by a footman.

" Reverend Golightly. Professor Peach, " the footman said, " The Lady Eddison requests that you make yourselves as comfortable as possible in your room. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half past four. "

" You go on up," said the professor to the reverend, " I need to check something in the library. Alone. "

Donna grinned, " Never mind Planet Zog. A cocktail party in the 1920s - that's more like it! "

Lily agreed, excited to be doing something different and brilliant again.

" Trouble is," the Doctor said, winking at Lily, " we haven't been invited ... " he stopped and started searching his pockets, " Oh, I forgot - yes we have," he held out the psychic paper.

" Brilliant! " Lily said, " although I can't wear this! Jeans, a t-shirt and a trench-coat? "

The Doctor rolled his eyes then, " Should have expected as much. Go on then, go play dress up. "

Lily smiled happily and was pleased for the change to rumage through the TARDIS' extensive wardrobe. She found something rather quickly, and when she came out of the TARDIS to find the Doctor leaning against it, waiting for she and Donna, he nodded, proclaiming it suitable.

Lily was wearing a pale blue flapper style dress with decorative lacing, and a little bolero cardigan, with smart blue heels, and a dainty pearl necklace, half her hair down and half tied up with pins.

As they resolved to wait for Donna, Lily's phone rang.

She frowned, reaching into the little blue handbag slung over her shoulder and looking at her dad, " No-one ever phones me," she said, " not when I'm not at work, anyway. Owen used to ring a few times just to ask me to ask Ianto to make a coffee, because he'd annoyed Ianto, but Ianto heard and refused. So now he emails me instead, 'cause it's silent. "

" It's still ringing," the Doctor said, lips curling up into a smile as he pointed at the mobile.

Lily nodded and looked down at it, " Oh. Yeah. " She didn't look at the caller ID, but flipped it open before they could hang up on her, " hello? "

" Hey baby," replied the voice on the other end.

She grinned immediately and the Doctor rolled his eyes, knowing who must be on the other end. Lily grinned into the phone, " Jack, I saw you little more than ten minutes ago ... fifteen at the most. "

" Really? It's been two hours. " Jack told her, " But anyway, I just called to say I love you. "

Lily's hearts pounded faster and she grinned at the thought of it - she loved the fact that he'd ring just because he loved her. " I love you too," she said, after a pause, " what's going on at home? The weevils? "

" Yeah, about that ... " Jack said after a pause, "I sort of got surrounded by a few without my weapon. I _might_ have ... died. But I'm fine now! Don't worry about it. "

" You died? " she demanded, " I _told _you I should have stayed there! "

" Don't be daft," he told her, " Immortality always saves me. "

" I don't care," she said, calming down as she sighed a little, " I always worry about what might happen if you don't wake up. I'm not used to it yet - every time, I think you're going to turn out to be mortal after all. "

" Never," he said, " I mean, think about it - it would be an injustice to kill someone this hot, wouldn't it? "

Lily giggled a little at the way he could always make her feel better about anything, " I suppose it would. And if you've just died, I want you to take it easy - go lie down and have a cup of tea. " She completely wasn't used to him dying yet, and each time still scared her.

He laughed heartily, " I'm fine," he said, " I've died hundreds of times. I _knew _I shouldn't have told you. Where are you, anyway? "

" I'm off for cocktails," she said, clutching the phone, " don't wait up. "

She heard Jack's sigh, " Well," he warned her, " don't drink too much, baby, because I'm not going to carry you off to bed when you've gotten yourself paraletic. "

She pouted, though he couldn't see it, " Oh, you would, kitten. "

He paused and then said, " Kitten. Yeah ... I think I'm warming to it. "

She grinned though she had nothing to say and for a moment, they stopped in silence and listened to each other's breathing for a few seconds before Lily broke the silence with a little giggle.

" I'm going to go, Jack - wish you were here, though. 1920s, and I'm going to go to a party as a single woman. They don't always look too kindly on that. Now, if you'd been here ... and with the psychic paper ... we could have been anyone. "

He chuckled, " I know baby, but I'm sure you can manage without me for one day. And I'll make it up to you later. "

" Looking forward to it already," she said, before cutting off the call and shoving it into her handbag again, a smile lighting up her face.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her, having only heard her side of the conversation, though he could piece together what Jack could have been saying roughly from what Lily said.

" He just called to say he loves me," Lily said with a satisfied smile.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at his daughter's loved up look and reached out to ruffle her hair, though she ducked away from his hand before it could touch her hair, and her hands shot up to cover her hair.

He laughed at her, pleased to be with his daughter again, and when the TARDIS door opened, they both stopped to compose themselves, and then looked at Donna, who was standing there in period dress, much like Lily.

" What do you think? " asked Donna, looking between Lily and the Doctor, " flapper or slapper? "

" Flapper," the Doctor smiled," you look lovely," he said, holding one arm out to Lily and the other to Donna. Both women linked their arms through his, and as they walked, Lily teased him about having two beautiful women on his arm, making him laugh.

The three of them walked up the lawn, where tables were set up and servants were setting out food and drink, and a record player was on. A housekeeper was the first to notice them, and she and a footman approached them

" Good afternoon," the Doctor called, as the female housekeeper looked at them and wondered why he had _two _women on his arm.

" Drink, sir? " asked the footman, " ladies? "

" Sidecar," Donna replied at once.

" Lime and soda," the Doctor said.

" And just a soda for me, please," Lily said with a smile.

The footman nodded and then gestured towards a petite, older woman, with short blonde hair and very well dressed, " May I introduce Lady Clemency Eddison? "

" Lady Eddison! " the Doctor grinned, holding his hand out to greet her, after both Lily and Donna disengaged themselves from his arms.

" Excuse me," Lady Eddison said, as she shook his hand, " but who exactly might you be, and what are you doing here? "

The Doctor held out his psychic paper at once, and told her, " I'm the Doctor, this is my niece, Miss Lily Harkness, and my friend Miss Donna Noble of ... the Chiswick Nobles. "

Lily smiled a little at the way he named her as "Harkness." He'd obviously learnt from the way she picked up Jack's name during her seperation from him.

" Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Lily said, nodding her head.

Donna affected a posh voice as she said, " Good afternoon, my lady. Topping day, what? Spiffing! Top hole! "

Lily smirked a little as her dad started whispering at Donna not to do that, before turning to the lady in front of them again, " We were thrilled to recieve your invitation, my lady. We met at the ambassador's reception. "

Lady Eddison nodded, the psychic paper working right away, " Doctor, how could I forget you? But one must be sure, with the Unicorn on the lose. "

" Unicorn? " Lily asked, " what? Where? "

" The unicorn," Lady Eddison repeated, " the jewel thief? And nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Babbington's pearls right from under her nose. "

The footman interupted them again, " May I announce the Colonel Hugh Curbishley, and the honourable Roger Curbishley. "

Lily recognised the name vaguely and watched a younger man push an older man towards them in a wheelchair. She smiled as she looked around the place - it was a nice day, company was good, and she couldn't wait to see how it would pan out.

" My husband and my son," Lady Eddison supplied.

" Forgive me for not rising," Hugh Curbishley said, smiling at the new comers, as did the son, " I've never been the same since the flu epidemic back in '18. "

" I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said, reaching out to shake Roger's hand.

Roger nodded, " How do you do? "

" Very well thanks," the Doctor smiled, before Roger turned his attention to Donna and Lily. He smiled at Donna and proclaimed her "smashing" and then looked at Lily with a smile.

" An absolute delight to meet you," he said, " the pleasure is all mine. "

Lily smiled a little, and made a mental note to tell Jack he had competition, though the next minute she'd changed her mind when the footman offered Roger a drink and a certain look passed between them. Shame, she thought, they were both quite good looking men.

" Miss Robina Redmond," the footman continued.

This time, a pretty young woman dressed in only the best fashions joined them. She too shook hands with Lady Eddison, and was pronounced the "hit of the social scene."

Next, the middle aged reverend - Golightly - was introduced.

" Ah, reverend! " Lady Eddison called as Lily watched the whole scene in anticipation, looking forward to meeting all these new people, " how are you? I heard about the Church last Thursday - those ruffians breaking in. "

" You apprehended them, I hear," Hugh said, from his wheelchair.

" Some of those boys deserve a decent thrashing," Roger said distastefully.

" I couldn't agree more, sir," the footman said, making Roger clear his throat loudly. Donna also noticed the thing between them and muttered to Lily and the Doctor

" Typical. All the decent men are on the other bus. "

" Or attached," Lily grinned, thinking of Jack.

" Or are Time Lords," the Doctor said with a vain little grin.

" Now, my lady," the reverend said as Lily swatted at her dad - though she was pretending to be his niece, as his current regeneration only looked about 13 or 14 years older than her, and the human could get suspicious, rolling her eyes, " what about this special guest you've promised us? "

Lady Eddison smiled, " Ah, here she is. A lady no needs no introduction. "

Everyone started to applaud as another woman approached them, coming to stand with them, looking as though she didn't like all of the attention. She held up her hands to make them stop clapping, " Oh no, please don't. Lady Eddison, thank you. "

Donna was closest to her, and shook her hand first, " Agatha Christie," the woman said, making Lily grin widely.

" You're kidding! " Lily said as it was her turn to shake the woman's hand, shaking eagerly, " it's such a pleasure to meet you! You're brilliant! Your work is just .... brilliant! "

The Doctor was even more enthusiastic, " Agatha Christie! I was just talking about you the other day. I said "I bet she's brilliant! " I'm the Doctor, this is Lily, and this is Donna. Oh, I love your stuff! What a mind! You fool me every time. Well ... almost every time. Well ... once or twice. Well ... once, but it was a good once. "

" You make a rather unusual group," Agatha told them.

The Doctor smiled, touching Lily's arm lightly, " This is my niece," he lied, " and Donna is my friend. "

Lady Eddison cut them off as she took Agatha's attention away, " Mrs Christie, I'm so glad you could come. I'm one of your greatest followers, I've read all six of your books. Is, uh, Mr Christie not joining us? "

" Is he needed? " Agatha asked, making Lily smile a little.

" Mrs Christie, I have a question," said Roger, smiling at Agatha, " why a belgian detective? "

The Doctor borrowed a newspaper from the colonel and scanned the front page, while Agatha made a joke about belgians making good buns, and everyone stopped to wonder where Professor Peach was.

The Doctor motioned for Donna and Lily to join him, a little away from the others, as the housekeeper - Miss Chandrakala - went to find the professor. He held up the newspaper, and looked at his beloved daughter.

" Anything significant about the date? "

Lily looked at it and then nodded, looking at him, " It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared, right? After discovering her husband was having an affair. "

Donna looked completely shocked at this, " You'd never think to look at her smile. "

The Doctor took over, " She's British and moneyed. That's what they do - they carry on. Except for this one time - no-one knows exactly what happened. She vanished. Her car will be found in the morning by the side of a lake, and ten days later she turns up in Harrogate. Says she's lost her memory. Never spoke about the disappearance until the day she died. "

" But it's going to happen today? " Donna asked.

Lily nodded, " Right here, right now. " She looked at her dad, " we should really get out of here, shouldn't we? "

He nodded.

" But we're not going to, are we? " she asked, knowing her dad all too well, because she was too much like him.

He shook his head.

It all got interesting when the housekeeper came running across over the lawn, screaming " Murder! " as loud as she could, " The professor! Library! Murder! "

Everyone took off towards the library as fast as they could, the Doctor reaching for Lily's hand as they did so, determined that he'd look after his little girl while she was with him and he had the chance. She found it harder to run her her little heels, but the Doctor wasn't letting go of her, ridiculously protective as always.

Once they were in the library, the Doctor scanned the body, while the two women watched him carefully, and the guests watched too, horrified at the sight of the dead professor.

" Bashed on the back of the head," the Doctor supplied, " blunt instrument. Watch broke as he fell, and the time of death was quarter past four. "

" Saints preserve us," muttered the reverend.

" How awful," muttered Robina, as Lily looked around for any sign of a weapon.

" We should call the police," said Agatha with confidence.

" You don't have to," the Doctor said, pulling out the psychic paper again, " Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor. These are the plucky young women who help me out - my niece and Miss Noble. "

" I think everyone should be questioned," Lily said looking up at her dad, having gotten used to being Jack's second in command now (even though she'd been there the least amount of time, but she knew her stuff).

Agatha got everyone to leave the room, leading them away to the sitting room, and Lily looked around.

She got to her knees, hitching the dress up around her knees as she knelt beside the body, looking around the floor for any clues, while Donna asked why they didn't phone the real police.

" Last thing we want is PC Plod sticking his nose in," the Doctor said.

Lily made a triumphant noise and got to her feet, holding up something sticky on her finger and holding it out to the Doctor.

" Morphic residue," she said, " gets left behind when certain species genetically re-code. "

" That's my girl," the Doctor grinned at her brains.

" The murderer's an alien? " asked Donna, suprised.

Lily nodded, " Yeah, I think so. Which ... " she paused and then said, " which means that one of those humans out there is just an alien in human form. "

" Yeah, but think about it," Donna said, " there's a murder, a mystery, and Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. That's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts at Christmas. "

" Well ... " the Doctor started, exchanging a look with Lily, who grinned, thinking of a time a long while ago.

"No," Donna said, still not being able to wrap her mind about all of it, " it's not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy's not real is he? Tell me there's no Noddy! "

Lily grinned - she decided that Donna was amazing. She'd never be the love of her dad's life, like Rose was, but that was good. There was nothing romantic in dad and Donna, and that would be good for him. And she didn't pine after him like Martha. She'd be a refreshing change.

" There's no Noddy," the Doctor said.

The three of them walked out into the hallway, where they met up with Agatha. The Doctor smiled, " Right, Agatha and I will question the suspects. Donna, you can search the bedroom and look for clues. And Lily - " he wanted to keep her with him, but knew he didn't need to, sh had more indepedance now, and finished, " you go with Donna too. "

He handed her a magnifiying glass and mumbled, " Residue," so quiet that humans wouldn't really catch it.

Lily took the magnifying glass, and Donna took a second one. The two women parted from the Doctor and went upstairs to search the bedrooms. They chatted away idly as they did to, Lily telling Donna about some of the work they did at Torchwood, and Donna talking about some of the places she and the Doctor had been to recently.

The two woman got on very well, and each thought the other was easy going and fun.

" That door's locked and will remain so. Lady Eddison commands it so," the footman said as the two women got to a bedroom door which wouldn't budge, and Lily had been on the verge of getting her spanner out.

" And I command otherwise," Donna said, making Lily smirk a little, " Scotland Yard, pip-pip. Why is it locked in the first place? "

" Many yeard ago, Lady Eddison returned from India with malaria," the man - Greeves - told them, as Lily listened carefully, trying to piece things together, " she locked herself in this room for six months until she recovered. Since then, this room has remained undisturbed. "

Once they were in the room, Lily was both suprised and confused to find it completely empty.

" 40 years, it's been empty," Greeves told them before leaving.

The pair of them continued their investigation alone, until they heard a buzzing noise. Lily rolled her eyes - she hated little insects like bees - and crossed the room to see a gigantic wasp hanging outside the window. She gapsed and moved backwards, never having seen any wasp that large, and Donna screamed.

" Get out! " Lily shouted, turning to Donna as the wasp broke its way through the window and they had no way to stop it.

Lily rushed from the room as fast as she could, and slammed the door behind her, wherethe pair of them leant against it, trying to think about it, before the stinger of the wasp broke through the door between them, making them both scream again.

" Giant wasp! " Donna shrieked as the Doctor and Agatha made their way quickly towards them, having heard the commotion.

" What do you mean, giant wasp? " the Doctor asked.

" I mean a wasp that's giant! " Donna cried.

Lily's eyes were wide as she looked around, thinking about the horrible big wasp and turning to look at its sting. " Look! " she cried, pointing towards it in a panic, " have you seen the size of this thing? "

The Doctor laid a hand on Lily's shoulder as he gently moved her out of the way and shoved open the door a lot more violently, only to enter an empty room. Lily sighed in exasperation and watched as Agatha stared in fascination at the stinger, and the Doctor went over to collect a sample from it.

" Giant wasp," he said, looking around at Lily as he worked, " well, there are tons of amorphous insectivorous lifeforms but none in this galactic vector, right? "

" You're completely potty! " Agatha accused him.

" Lost its sting though," Donna mused, as if Agatha hadn't spoken, " that makes it defenceless. "

" What if it can grow a new one? " Lily asked, worried, " after all, it's huge. "

" There are no such things as giant wasps though," Agatha pointed out, making Lily smile a little - it was all black and white for some people, but she'd soon learn differently..

" Exactly," the Doctor agreed, " so what's it doing here? "

Lily shrugged, unable to come up with an answer.

The Doctor turned to everyone in the room and looked at each of the before clapping his hands together, " Come on then - let's get back down there. Can't leave them all alone. Those lot could be doing anything. "

It was as they were on their way down that they heard a loud scream coming from downstairs, as if it was outside. Once again, the Doctor grabbed his daughter's hand, holding it so tight she thought it might break, and hurrying off again.

Once outside, they found Miss Chandrakala lying dead in the driveway, a large stone gargoyle over her.

Lily gasped, staring at the woman as the Doctor held her hand, keeping her away from the woman's dying body. Before she died, she muttered, " The poor little .... child. "

Lily frowned at the thought of that, trying to work out what child she could be talking about.

She felt a gentle tug on her hand as she thought about that poor woman's death - how she lay here, her body mangled. She looked at her dad, and he tried to smile at her before nodding back towards the house and gently tugging her in that direction.

A short while later, all the guests of the house were sitting in the sitting room, while the Doctor told them what happened. After he spoke, there was a distinct silence, and everyone waited for the Doctor to speak again.

Lily was frowning as she sat beside her dad - she nudged him a little and leaned over to mumble," The poor child? What child? "

He shrugged too and cut across Lady Eddison and he footman talking about how the housekeeper had been on her way to find Lady Eddison, but asking the quetion out loud, though he got no response - apparently there were no children in the house and hadn't been in many years.

" Mrs Christie," Hugh said with a sigh, " you must have twigged something. You write the best detective novels. "

" What woudl Poirot do? " the reverend asked.

" I'm ... I'm merely a writer," Agatha protested, as Lily sat there trying to piece things together.

" But surely you can crack it," Robina said, flicking her hair, " these events, they're exactly like one of your novels. "

" Exactly," nodded Donna, " that's what I've been saying. Agatha, that's got to mean something! "

Agatha looked completely out of her depth, " But what? I've got no answers. None. I'm sorry, all of you, I'm truly sorry, but I've failed. If anyone can help us, it's not me - it's the Doctor. "

_TWTWTW_

While Donna and Agatha went to investigate the garden, Lily and the Doctor went for the science side of it. When it was done, they four of them met up again in the sitting room.

Donna and Agatha presented the Doctor with a small box of tools they'd found in the gardens.

" The sort of stuff a thief would use," Lily noted, " looks like this infamous Unicorn might be here. "

The footman interrupted them by bringing drinks, which they accepted gratefully, before going back to their conversations.

" C'mon Agatha," Donna sighed as they spoke, "what would Miss Marple do? She'd have overheard somethin vital by now because the murderer thinks she'd just a harmless old lady. "

" Hmm, Miss Marple, who writes those? " asked Agatha with interest.

" Um, copyright - Donna Noble," Donna grinned as Lily smiled at the thought of it. She didn't hear the rest of the conversation however, as she noted the odd look on her dad's face, and tried to figure out what was wrong with him.

" Something's inhibiting my enzymes! " the Doctor said, as he convulsed, face contorting in pain, " I've been posioned! "

Lily was stood up as quick as possible and gasped, shaking her head and snatching the glass from him and sniffing it, as she stared at him in shock, hoping she was alright.

" Cyanide," she said, shaking her head, " Dad! " she stared at him, not sure what to do and when he doubled over, she reached down and grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet.

She cared about her dad more than anything else - putting him on a par with Jack - and would be broken if anything ever happened to him. She prayed he'd be alright as she racked her brains for things that would make him feel better. She was scared as he shuddered and clung to her tightly as he staggered.

When he'd regained his balance, Lily suggested going to the kitchens and he was off like a shot.

Lily watched in a panic as he tried to drink and eat everything in the room, trying to get rid of the poison in his body, even though Agatha told him that it was poisonous - he told her it wasn't but he didn't listen - it wasn't fatal for _him._

" A shock! " Lily shouted after a moment, " Dad, you need a shock! "

" Then give me one! " he groaned leaning back against a table.

Lily bit her lip, not sure what would constite as a shock, and saying a quick apology in her head before she did so, she pulled back her hand, and delivered a sharp open palmed slap against her dad's cheek, immediately apologising afterwards, though she hoped it had done the trick.

He stared at her, " That's one hell of a slap," he rubbed his cheek, " but I was sort of expecting that. Another shock! Shock me! "

Lily was at a loss of what to do, but it was taken out of her hands when Donna moved forward and grabbed the Doctor's face in her hands and kissed him full on the mouth, pressing herself againt him. That was a shock to everyone in the room, and Lily stared slightly open mouthed.

When the kiss was over, the Doctor threw his head back and black smoke emerged from his mouth as he panted heavily. Lily bit down on her lip as she watched him and when he was done he sighed and looked around.

He'd only just turned around when something flew at him hard and he groaned again, though his daughter didn't notice. He held his daughter tightly and kissed the top of her head protectively, telling her there was no need to worry.

Lily clung to her dad as he smoothed down her hair.

" Thank God you're alright," she told him happily.

He kissed her cheek when they broke apart and she smiled - he was alright. He was always alright.

_TWTWTW_

Soon after, everyone was having dinner in the dining room, all seated around the table, all engaged in conversation about the days events.

" A terrible day for all of us," the Doctor said, " the professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala taken from us, and yet, we still take dinner. "

" We are British - what else do we do? " asked Lady Eddison with a shrug.

" And then someone tried to posion me," the Doctor said, frowning, " gave me an idea though. I've laced the soup with pepper. The active ingredient of pepper is piperine. Traditionally used as an insecticide. Anyone got the shivers? "

Lily smiled at the cleverness of it, and her dad threw her a quick wink when no-one else was looking.

But it was only a moment later when they heard a loud buzzing noise. Everyone looked around and all Lily could think to do was jump up and search for it, though she didn't because the next minute, it had come crashing through a window.

Everyone started to scream and run out of the room. Lily had only just gotten to her feet when the Doctor's fingers closed around her upper arm and he was steering her from the room, shouting, " Out! Out! Out! "

Once they were in the corridor, the Doctor grabbed a sword from a wall display and headed for the door again. Lily tried to follow, forgetting she'd no weapon, but the Doctor stopped her, turning around to kiss the top of her head and tell her he'd be fine.

When the Doctor prounounced it safe to go back in the room, they all did so, and Lady Eddison gasped in shock.

" My jewellery - it's gone! "

" Roger," muttered the footman sadly.

Lily gasped as she walked around to other side of the table to find that Roger was dead - lying on the ground with a sting through his back. She covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at the dead man - first the housekeeper, now this man. She winced at the thought of the death.

As Lady Eddison mourned her son, a sudden thought struck Lily.

She moved to her dad, who was watching everyone carefully, and she touched his arm lightly. " Dad," she said, " I think I've got something," she stoppped and shook her head, " the poor child ... 40 years ... 6 months ... "

The Doctor frowned at her, as she continued to think, trying to piece together whatever she thought she knew.

The Doctor looked at her and then told Agatha and Donna to come to the library with he and Lily. Once there, she four of them sat down there and started to talk about everything, trying to piece together what they thought they might know.

Lily was determined that she'd found something out, " Dad, Lady Eddison got back from India, and apparently had Malaria. Kept herself locked in her room for 6 months. The housekeeper would have known about this. That was 40 years ago. The poor child ... I think she was ... "

The Doctor nodded, snapping his fingers together, " Yes! " he said, " my clever girl! " Lily could see his mind whirring quickly and she saw the cogs click into place, wondering what he'd managed to piece together.

But he sighed and looked around at everyone, " This thing has a sting. It could wipe us all out in seconds. Why is it playing this game? "

" Every murder is essentially the same," Agatha said, " they are commited because someone wants something. "

" What could a Vespiform want? " asked Lily, pouting a little.

" Stop it," Agatha said sternly, " Miss Harkness, the murderer is as human as you and I. "

Lily shrugged, leaning back in her chair and the Doctor took over.

" Agatha," he said, " you're the expert. You're the best at what you do, but why? Why are you so good, Agatha Christie? Because you understand. You've lived ... fought ... had your heart broken. You know people - their passions, hope, despair, anger. Think, Agatha. If anyone can do it, you can. "

Lily declared that she was going to get a drink, and when she returned a couple of minutes later, the Doctor and Agatha were both looked pleased at whatever they'd thought out. Lily raised her eyebrows in question, but all was to be revealed.

Everyone in the house sat in the library and Lily sat back and let her dad to the work. She watched in suprise at time, and in understanding at others, as Robina Redmond was revealed to be the infamous Unicorn thief, and that Colonel Hugh only pretended to be in a wheelchair to eep hold of his wife.

Her interest perked up when Agatha pointed a long pale finger at Lady Eddison, " Lady Eddison. "

" I've done nothing! " Lady Eddison protested.

" You went to India, a long time ago," Agatha said, as Lily watched with a small smile, thrilled to be in the company of Agatha Christie, even if there were murders happening, " before you met the Colonel. You came home with malaria and confined yourself to one room for 6 months, a room which has been locked every since, which means - "

" Stop! " Lady Eddison cried.

" I'm sorry," Agatha said, confirming lily's suspisions, " but you had fallen pregnant in India - unmarried and ashamed. You feld back to England with your confidante, Miss Chandrakala. "

" Is this true? " Hugh demanded, "you've never said! "

Lady Eddison sighed a little and then said, " My poor baby. I had to give him away. I had no choice - imagine the scandal of it, the family name. I'm British - I carry on. "

" And it was no ordinary pregnancy," said the Doctor carefully, " You heard the buzzing in the dining room, and you said "it can't be." Why would you say that? "

" You wouldn't believe it," her ladyship scoffed, " but it was 40 years ago. I was alone in Delhi, and I saw it. A dazzling light in the sky. Then the next day, he came to the house - Christopher. Our love blazed and I held nothing back. And in return, he showed me the incredible truth about himself. He'd made himself human to learn about us, but he wasn't. I loved him so much it didn't matter, but he was taken from me. At the flood. "

Lily was watching carefully and when Lady Eddison was finished, she added, " The poor chid. Your baby. And you took him to the orphanage, right? "

" And Professor Peach worked it out," Agatha added, " He found the birth certificate and Miss Chandrakala feared the professor would work it out. She was coming to warn you. "

" So she killed her? " asked Donna.

Lily smiled, shaking her head, and the Doctor took over.

" Because at this point, we consider the lies and the secrecy, and we have to consider the vital clue. The whole thing is being acted out like a murder mystery. And you, Agatha Christie, wrote those brilliant books. And you greatest fan is ... ? "

" Lady Eddison," Lily finished.

" It wasn't me! I did nothing! " shouted Lady Eddison.

The Doctor shook his head, " No, but what were you doing last Thursday? "

" I was in the library," replied the woman, " I was reading my favourite Agatha Christie and thinking about how clever she must be. But how is this relevant? "

" What else happened last Thursday? " asked the Doctor, turning to face the reverend Golightly, " you said on the lawn, that boys broke into your church, true? "

The man nodded, " They did. I discovered two thieves in the night, I was most pertrubed, but I apprehended them. "

" Really? " asked the Doctor, raising his eyebrows, and Lily could see exactly where he was going with this, and what was going to happen next, " a man of God against two strong lads. A man in his forties? Or should I say, 40 years old exactly? "

Lady Eddison gasped.

The Doctor nodded, " Your child has returned. "

" Poppycock! " the reverend shouted.

" Really? " the Doctor pressed, " you said you were taught by the Christian fathers, meaning you were raised in an orphanage. You found those thieves and you got very angry. A proper, deep anger, for the first time in your life, and it broke the genetic code. You changed. "

" I did not! " he protested.

" At least hear him out," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor nodded at her and then looked back at the reverend, whom everyone was watching carefully, " You realised your inheritance. After all these years, you knew who you were. And you absorbed the works of Agatha Christie - and you killed in a pattern, because you think that's what the world is. "

" So he killed them? " Donna asked.

The Doctor nodded.

The reverend scoffed, shaking his head. " Well, this has been most entertaining. Surely you can't believe any of this, Lady Eddizzz - "

Lily stared at him, and then exchanged a quick looked with her dad, before saying, " Lady who? Bit of buzzing there? "

" Don't make me angry! " the reverend snapped.

Lily stood up slowly, feeling much braver, ater all her encounters at Torchwood, " Why? What would happen then? "

" Don't make me angry! " he repeated.

The Doctor also stood up, " Don't shout at her! " he said, furious, Lily always being the most important thing to him.

" Dammit," the reverend snapped, his genetic code kicking in as he started to buzz, " you humanzzzz. Worshipping your tribal sky godzzz! I am so much more! What's to stop me killing you all? "

Agatha was horrified as he transformed into a large wasp again, and she couldn't get around the fact that he'd become a murderer after absorbing the works of her mind. She ran from the room, and Donna followed, the Doctor looking at Lily and then the two of them elaving too.

" It's chasing us! " Donna shrieked as they started running towards the front of the building.

Lily looked over her shoulder to see the wasp, and then they all ran as fat as they could, out of th the way. She was worried about what was going to happen next, and they all ran around, following Agatha, who was in a panic.

They got to the front of the building, and Agatha was already in her car, starting down the drive.

The Doctor pointed towards the nearest car, and jumped into the passenger seat as Donna went immediately for the driver's seat.

" Agatha, what are you doing? " the Doctor demanded, as Agatha drove past them.

" If I started this, then I'll finish it! " Agatha called back, before setting off, the Vespiform wasp crashing through the front doors. The Doctor looked down at Lily, who still wasn't in the car and eached for her hand - it was only a two man car, but he wasn't about to leave anyone behind.

" Get in! " he shouted, grasping her hand and helping her up into the car.

There was no room and she protested even though she didn't want to be left behind, but there was very little room. The Doctor didn't care, and he threw an arm around his daughter's waist, as she perched on the edge of his knee. He held her tightly as Donna took off at full speed.

The road was bumpy and they were thrown everywhere.

They had to follow Agatha down the road as fast as they could, and the vespiform was behind them. All Lily could do was hope they were going to be alright. They went all the way to a lake, wondering what on earth was going to happen next.

Agatha stopped her car by a lake and jumped out, so Donna pulled the car over and they all had to get out too.

" Here I am! " Agatha shouted, " come to me Vespiform! "

Lily understood why she was doing it, but hoped Agatha would be alright - they needed to get through this.

" Does she control it? " asked Donna.

Lily nodded, as they walked towards Agatha, " Their minds are linked, based on her thought process. "

Agatha nodded, " If I die, this thing dies too. " With that, she picked up Lady Eddison's Indian firestone that the Vespiform was linked to and threw it into the lake. The vespiform dived in straight after it. The water started to bubble purple and glow, before it was no longer visible.

Lily bit her lip - she hated things having to die, but it looked like there was no other way for this to end.

" Drowned just like his father," muttered Donna

" It had to be this way," the Doctor said, trying to convince himself as much as he told Lily and Donna.

Lily accepted it, and nodded, " Justice is served. "

There was a brief pause, broke by Agatha gasping and doubling over. The Doctor acted fast and reached out an arm, helping her down before she could fall, being gentle with her

" The vespiform," the Doctor said quietly, " it's dying and it's connected to Agatha! "

The next moment, Agatha had fallen unconcious and the Doctor realised he'd been wrong - the Vesipform had saved Agatha's life at the last minute, and then she'd been given the anmesia.

Lily sighed, thinking about Agatha and everything that had happened

" Come on," the Doctor said, reaching out to wrap an arm around Lily's shoulder and pull her close, " let's get back to the TARDIS. " She smiled and moved closer to him.

" You're cold," he told her, rubbing her arm.

She sighed, " I'm fine, Dad. "

He leaned over to kiss her forehead, " Let's get back," he said.

_TWTWTWTW_

Once they were in the TARDIS, Lily went over to the controls and leaned against them, while the Doctor and Donna spoke. The Doctor was telling Donna about how Agatha's books would live on forever, but Lily wasn't really listening.

" Right," the Doctor said, turning around to talk to his daughter, after he'd set the controls back to Earth, " I suppose I'd better take you back to Cardiff," he said, " you'll be missing Jack, I suppose? "

Lily shrugged, " I can manage without him for the day, but I think I should be getting back. It's been enough excitement for one day. "

The Doctor sighed and reached out to lay his hands on his daughter's shoulders, " I'll see you again very soon," he said, " and I'll call you even sooner. You're going to come away on a longer trip next time, and there'll be no murder. "

" Good," Lily said, moving in to hug him tightly, " it's been fun, Dad. I ... I miss you and the TARDIS, but I love Torchwood and Jack. I want everything. "

The Doctor smiled at her as they broke apart, " You're better off down there. You've spent 200 plus years with me, and now it's time for you to have those adventures with Jack. I've got Donna over here, to keep me occupied. "

Lily smiled at Donna as the familiar whoosing noise sounded, signalling that they were back on Earth, " Great to see you again. You keep an eye on him, yeah? " Turning back to her dad, she asked, " how long have I been gone? "

" Three hours," the Doctor said, " I was going to make it five minutes, but you spoke to Jack earlier and he said it was two hours since you'd left, so we're safe on three hours. "

Lily smiled, " Brilliant. See you around, Dad. "

She gave them a final smile and then left the TARDIS. She watched it leave with a sad sort of smile, but shook her head, telling herelf she'd see him again soon, but for now she could enjoy her life with Jack once more.

When the TARDIS was gone, she pulled out her phone and went to stand by the railings of the bay - a spot that she loved because that had been her first kiss with Jack. She smiled as she pulled out the phone, deciding to stay outside and tease Jack, rather than going straight to see him.

When he answered the phone, he said, " Hey baby. "

She smiled into the phone, " Miss me, kitten? "

There was a pause before he replied, " It's been three days, Lily. "

Lily shook her head, " Three days? It was meant to be three hours! " She sighed and bit her lip, feeling very guilty, knowing he must have been sitting around, waiting for her, " I'm so sorry, Jack. Really, I am. I really thought it was going to be a couple of hours. "

She felt very guilty, but Jack's reply soothed her, " No. It's ... " sigh, " I don't mind. It's not your fault- I'm just glad you're back now. "

" I was going to hang around up here for a while, but if I've been gone that long, I should probably come down there," she said, " I'll see you in a few minutes, kitten. "

Jack laughed, " Kitten," he said, " are you going to tell me why you chose it, yet? "

Lily smiled, walking across the plass, and towards the tourist office, as she spoke, " Fine then, if you insist. I like Tiger, don't get me wrong - it's strong, it's sexy, it's masculine. But kitten's cute too. It's playful, it's loyal, sweet, cuddly. It's you, Jack. "

Jack laughed and all Lily wanted to do was be with him right that minute, " You're too romantic, Lily," he told her.

She sighed, " I guess so. I'll be home in about .... three minutes. "

She put the phone back in her pocket, grinning like a fool.

**Author's Note: Next chapter up will be Adam, which will be quite a challenge but should give some good Lily and Jack stuff. That will continue straight from where this leaves off, I think.**


	8. Adam

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: This one's very tricky to write, especially because of the time - this seems to take place all night so it has to be drawn out. It seems out, but the scene where it skips to 2.30 AM is actually true, as my transcript tells me the clocks moved through the scene until 2.30am. Long night for the team.**

Chapter Eight

Lily hummed lightly to herself as she opened the door of the tourist office. Ianto wasn't in there, so she moved behind the desk and pressed the button to open the door, letting herself in.

She was incredibly happy as she walked down the corridors, heading for the main hub, because she wanted to see Jack again. She'd only been gone a day, but to him, it had been three days, so she assumed he'd be eager to see her - she was thankful he wasn't mad.

When the cog door wheeled open Lily leant against the doorway, calling out, " Jack! I'm home! "

She didn't have eyes for anyone else, and she had no time to look around, because Jack was striding towards her, that gorgeous grin across his face.

When he stopped in front of her, she immediately held her hands out, and Jack took them and pulled her towards him with a authority that made Lily smirk a little. When she was stood close to him and he was looking down at her, Jack put a hand to her cheek and leaned in.

They shared a long slow kiss, and as Jack backed Lily up against the door that had closed behind her, she moaned against him and she felt completely overwhelmed by his kiss - he had a habit of doing that to her, and she couldn't think straight when he kissed her.

Jack seemed to be even more irresistable than he usually was.

When they broke apart, Jack enveloped Lily in his arms and traced patterns across her back with his fingertips. " I missed you," he said.

" It was three days," Lily said, " you've managed 138 years, before. "

Jack shrugged, tightening his hold on her, " Yeah, but that was before I'd gotten used to you living here, and I've gotten you back. "

Lily smiled, resting her head against the place where his shoulder met his chest, and she sighed, her breathing a little unsteady.

" 51st century pheremones," she mumbled against him, " it's so unfair. It's not as if you needed any extra help in attracting women ... or men. " She sighed, " it should be illegal for men like you to have chemicals to make you even _more_ attractive. "

Jack chuckled as they broke apart, and he kissed her lips lightly, " I can't help it," he said, " and you can't blame it on the pheromones, baby. You wouldn't be able to keep your hands off me pheromones or no pheromones. "

Lily shrugged and Jack grinned at her.

He'd always been proud of his natural pheromones, and they always worked to his advantage. He always loved the way that he could reduce Lily to an incoherent wreck sometimes, just by several kisses. She'd been immune to them when they first met, but when they start a relationship, she'd started to let her defences down, and she didn't bother with her defences against the pheromones anymore.

" I love you," Lily said as they turned around, and she started to think straight again, trying to focus on the hub and what was going on.

Jack grinned and kissed his girlfriend's cheek, " I love you too," he told her, wrapping his arm around her waist as they started to walk towards the workstation area. " How was your trip? " he asked her.

She grinned, " It was brilliant! God, we met, Agatha Christie! We solved a murder with Agatha Christie - how cool's that? "

Jack smiled but didn't reply because they'd reached the main area of the hub. Jack dropped his arm from Lily's waist and she put her hands on her hips, looking around at the others - Owen and Gwen talking by Gwen's desk, Tosh sat near her computers, and Ianto standing nearby.

" I thought you'd gone away for the weekend, Gwen? " Lily asked, determined to try and get on with the woman - she didn't like her, but she thought she'd better make an effort, since she'd been pretty awful to her after the whole meat thing.

Gwen smiled politely, " I got back to work hours ago. It's 5pm, Lily. "

Lily raised her eyebrows, " Is it? Oh. "

Lily shrugged and then her eyes shifted to Owen, who was stood beside Gwen. He was wearing glasses that seemed too big, and a striped jumped. There was something off about him, but Lily chose not to mention it.

Next, her eyes moved to Tosh - she gave her a smile, since she was closer to Tosh and Owen than she was to Gwen and Ianto. Tosh was wearing a pretty green dress revealing a daring amount of cleavage, her hair tied up and her glasses gone.

" You look good, Tosh," she told her, " have you had a makeover? "

Tosh frowned at Lily, " I ... I've always dressed like this. "

Lily shook her head, but was too confused to ask about it, deciding to leave it, though she knew something was off. Her eyes roamed to Ianto, and she was a little relieved to see that there was nothing different about him.

" I trust you had a good ... uh ... a good time wherever you went? " Owen asked Lily, his voice sounding different - more nervous, none of the confidence there.

She raised her eyebrows at him, " Are you alright, Owen? You seem ... different. "

He looked at her as if he was confused by her and just shook his head at her. Lily was now completely confused and she couldn't put her finger on what it was - she had a very bad feeling about it.

This was only heightened when an unfamiliar voice called out, " Jack, I've got that report on ... " the voice trailed off when a figure came into view, stopping when he saw Lily.

Lily looked at the man stunned, and shook her head, " Who the hell's this? " she asked, wondering how the hell someone had managed to get into the hub without everyone else pulling their guns out on him.

The others all immediately looked at her in worry and confusion, while the unknown man simply strode towards with with an easy smile. He put his hand on her shoulder before she could stop him, and grinned.

" Just because that's what I said to you on your first day, remember? "

Lily was suprised when she could feel something pressing against her strong mental barriers, but it was only a light nudge, and whoever this man was, he was no-where near strong enough to have control of her. She pushed him right out of her mind and took a step backwards, shrugging his hand off her.

" No, I don't remember," she said, narrowing her eyes, " I don't know what your game is, but you can just get out. We don't want you here. "

There was a hand on her arm and she looked at Jack, who was only looking at her in worry, as the hub seemed to fill with tension. " Lily, it's Adam," he told her, " he's been working here for two years. He's just like Owen, or Ianto. "

" No," Lily said, looking at Jack carefully, trying to figure out what was going on, " I've never seen him before Jack, and you don't know him either. "

" Has something happened to you? " Jack asked, drawing her in for a hug, though she wasn't accepting it, " how could you just have forgotten him? What happened while you were away? "

" Nothing! " Lily said, " I'm telling you - I have never seen that man before Jack. He's trying to trick you into thinking he belongs here. "

Jack usually always trusted Lily's word, but as he looked around at the rest of the team, all he could see was their confused and concerned faces for Lily. He turned back to Lily and put a hand to her cheek lightly, searching her eyes.

" Lily," he said, not quite sure how to go about it, " how about you go get a drink or something? I'll .... I'll come and talk to you in a few minutes. "

Lily looked up at him, " You think I'm mental, don't you? "

He sighed, dropping his hand with a smile, " No. Now go make yourself a cup of tea. "

Lily also sighed, wondering what was going on here, and now that man had managed to get into Torchwood and then make everything believe he belonged there. She wondered what species he was, and went to the kitchen as directed, glaring at "Adam" before slamming the door behind her.

She'd been standing alone in the kitchen for a few moments when the door opened and she spun around quickly, only to see Owen standing there. He gave her a kind smile that seemed out of place, and along with his geeky clothes, made her wish for the sarcastic, annoying Owen.

" How was your trip? " he asked her.

She shrugged, " It was good, but I'm more concerned with what's going on here. "

" I don't suppose you .... fell, or anything? Maybe hit your head? "

" Are you _serious? "_ she demanded, " what the hell's going on around here? I go away for _three days, _I come back and you're all deluded into thinking some stranger has been here years, and you think _I'm _the one with problems! "

Owen cleared his throat awkwardly, " He ... Jack ... we're all worried about you, Lily. Jack thought we should check you over, just to make sure. "

Lily paused, trying to make herself calm down, but then she nodded, " Alright then. I'll let you check me over, but there's nothing wrong with me - I'm letting you do it, to you prove that. And after you're done, I'm going to investigate what's going on. "

Owen shrugged, " Fine. We just want to know that you're alright. "

Lily felt reluctant about it, and as she and Owen crossed the hub, she saw Adam sitting behind his desk, talking to Tosh. Tosh seemed to be grinning as she leant over towards him, and his hands trailed up her thighs.

" Are they together? " Lily asked Owen as they walked down the stairs to the med bay.

Owen looked uncomfortable and he adjusted the neck of his jumper, before clearing his throat and replying, " Uh ... yes ... um ... yes they are. You _know _that. They have been for about a year. "

Lily shook her head, though didn't reply. She sat down on the long hard table in the med bay, swinging her legs as she sat there. She waited for Owen to start whatever he was going to do, bu he seemed distracted, looking towards Adam and Tosh.

He sighed wistfully, " Isn't she beautiful? "

Lily frowned a little, not missing the tone in Owen's voice. Owen frowned as he turned to her and shook his head, " Still ... she's got Adam. I shouldn't dwell on that, right? She's .... with him. "

" Owen? " Lily asked as he reached for a stethoscope while waiting for the computer to get a list of Lily's records, " are you ... do you like Tosh? "

He cleared his throat again and tried to change the subject, only confirming Lily's suspicions - another thing to add to the list. Owen wasn't like this, and Tosh wasn't like that. In reality, Tosh was the shy, tragic one and Owen was the one who was oblivious to how she felt - or if he was aware, he wasn't interested.

Owen held up the stethoscope and took Lily's heart rates, and then checked her blood pressure - when she'd joined, he took a measure of her vital signs, since he knew what was average for a human, but he'd have nothing to compare Lily against if he needed to check her over. He continued checking her over, and she sighed as he shone a bright light in her eye, commanding her to look up and down and this way and that.

" See? " she said, when he was done, " Fine. "

" Not so fast," Owen said, " I want to run a scan on you. "

Lily pouted, trying to get off the table, but she was stopped by Jack walking down the steps of the med bay, " Come on, do as you're told," he said with a grin, " I want to know you're alright first. Nothing's more important to me than that. "

" How about trusting me? " she asked.

Owen touched her shoulder gently, trying to make her do what they wanted, so they could get the scan done. " Just lie back and think of Torchwood, darlin'," he said calmly.

She pouted as she lay back, and her eyes locked on Jack's. He looked a mixture of confusion and concern - he wanted to believe Lily, he really did, but he wasn't sure.

" I can't see a thing wrong with you," Owen said, allowing Lily to sit up.

" See? " Lily demanded, looking at Jack.

" Don't be like that," he said, moving over to kiss her forehead lightly, " I just - "

" Yeah," she said, " I get it, you're concerned for me, but don't be. Jack, listen to me. I've done all sorts, seen all sorts. I know when something's not right, and I'm telling you, him in there - he's not right. "

Jack paused, " I'm sorry, baby, this is just so hard to get my head around. He's worked for me for years, he's one of my best friends, and he's been one of yours too. I can't see him as anything other than my friend, but you're my very best friend, and if you say something's not right, then .... "

" You believe me? "

" I don't know," he said, " but you're a clever girl. You do whatever you need to do to figure it out for yourself. "

Lily nodded at Jack, " In that case, I'll have a moment alone with Owen. "

Jack raised his eyebrows in confusion but when Lily looked at him in that stern way that told him not to argue, he immediately agreed, leaving the pair of them behind. Lily put her hands on her hips and turned to look at Owen.

" Right," she said, " I want to check what's going on around here. I know it sounds absurd to everyone who's not me, but three days ago this man was _not _in our lives. I don't know what's happened since then, but he's fooling everyone. Come on - you've checked me out, let me just have a little look in your mind. "

Owen shrugged, putting up no resistance - she felt sure that the normal Owen would resist - and took a step towards her. Lily reached out and put her fingertips to Owen's head.

She pressed her fingers to his temples and closed her eyes. She searching through his mind, looking for what she wanted. She'd felt Adam trying to get into her mind earlier, though he wasn't anywhere near stronger enough to get to her, but she feared he could be inside all of her friends and collegues.

She found exactly what she'd thought she would. She searched through Owen's mind and found it a mess - none of the memories that were actually his were there. The Owen inside his mind wasn't like the Owen she knew, and she could tell that someone had been messing about with his head - and he'd done a pretty good job.

When she released him, she shook her head.

" What did you find? " Owen asked.

Lily shook her head again, not wanting to tell him - this Adam was getting inside everyone's mind and making them think he was part of their lives, and she thought it was better she didn't tell everyone until she'd gathered enough evidence and was ready to confront him.

" Thanks Owen," she muttered, " I'm gonna .... I just need to see Jack. "

When she pushed open Jack's office door, she found him standing in the middle of the room, staring towards his desk, one hand outstretched.

" Kitten? " she asked quietly, worried about him.

He shook himself a little and then turned to look at her slowly, " Lily," he said, " I was .... didn't you see .... it ... never mind. "

" What's going on? " she asked him, moving closer. He just looked at her, with a strange stare, seeming all over the place - she wasn't used to seeing Jack out of sorts, because he usually seemed so perfect and together.

She stopped just in front of him, and looked at him carefully. She reached up to brush his hair across his forehead gently, and then her hands fell down to his clothes - he was wearing a pale blue shirt with dark trousers and braces. Her hands stopped on the braces and she searched his eyes carefully.

" What's going on? " she repeated, tugging on his braces a little.

" Seeing things," he mumbled.

" You sure? "

He nodded.

Lily sighed, feeling like she needed to take care of him, even if she didn't know what was wrong with him. She moved her hands from his braces turned him around to face his desk, " Now," she said, " you go sit down. You look like you could do with some rest. "

Jack nodded, doing exactly as she said, walking slowly and looking confused as he did so - Lily didn't like it. She wanted her sexy confident Jack, not this confused Jack, who seemed to be seeing things. She considered searching his mind but he looked so vunerable that she didn't want to pry yet.

She smiled at him, " I'm going to go out there and talk to the others for a bit. "

" Lily? " he called, before she could go, " what about you? What have you found? "

Lily shook her head, " I don't know, Jack. It's just not right. None of you are right - but it'll get sorted out. Do you want a cuppa? "

" No, I'm fine," he said.

She nodded, unsure about leaving him, but decided he'd be fine - he was always fine - and she wasn't going far. She went back into the main hub where Gwen and Ianto were stood together, talking, while Adam and Tosh were sitting at Tosh's computers together.

" How are you feeling? " Ianto asked her sympathetically as all eyes turned to her.

Lily shrugged, knowing better than to tell them exactly what she thought until she'd got it sorted, and until she'd had a chance to confront Adam, " I'm alright. "

" What caused it? " Gwen asked, also making more of an effort to get on with Lily, as much as she didn't want to, " Owen said there was no concussion, and he couldn't find anything wrong with you. "

" Jack reckons it's stress or something," Lily lied. She decided that the best way to play this was to keep asking them about Adam to find out exactly how much he'd fooled them, then when she knew enough, she could convince them, and get rid of him, " anyway, what are you doing? " she asked Tosh, aware that Adam was watching her carefully - he needed to get to her, but he couldn't do it. Why wouldn't she let him into her mind? What was she?

" Just doing a quick check," Tosh replied, " we had rift activity two days ago but nothing seems to have come through. "

" Except me," called out a squeaky voice as a small stuffed rodent peered around the side of Tosh's computer.

Owen appeared from behind it, and he squeezed the animal, making it squeak again as he waved it at Tosh. Lily watched in suprise. Tosh didn't seem too impressed.

" It's screen cleaner," Owen told Tosh, " thought you might like it. Um ... do you ... do you like it? "

Tosh frowned at him, " Just what I need. A small rodent looking at me while I work. " With that, she started to walk away from them, calling over her shoulder, " I think I'll name it Owen. "

Owen sighed, deflated and headed bay to the medical bay. Lily couldn't get over the way Owen loved Tosh thanks to Adam messing with everyone - and Tosh didn't love him. The real Tosh adored Owen, and he was too much of an idiot to notice.

" He's like a little puppy, bringing her sticks. When's he gonna realise he's got no chance? " Gwen asked.

" Love's blind apparently," shrugged Ianto, " he's idolised her for years now. "

Lily shook her head, " No he hasn't. "

Adam looked at her, shaking his head, " Why can't you remember me, Lily? " He got up from his chair and walked over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder again, hoping to control her like he could control the others. " How could you just have forgotten me? I'm your friend. I've always been there for you and Jack. Always help you through things, always been there, remember? "

Once again, she felt a nudge against the mental blocks in her mind, but she wasn't going to be tricked. She stepped away from his hand and said nothing. The others were all looking at her, and she walked away from them, running a hand through her hair.

She was going to go for Jack's office, but instead went for the recreation room, where she sat down on the sofa. She'd been there for all of a minute, when the door opened and Adam stood there. Lily stood up and looked at him carefully, wondering what he wanted.

" What are you? " he asked her.

" No," she said, " what are _you? _You don't belong here. "

He laughed coldly, and she started to think it might not be such a good idea to be around this man on her own, but she didn't care. He stepped closer to her and she stood her ground.

" I can't get to your mind," he told her, " why won't you let me in? "

" I'm too strong for you," she replied, " you can't get to me. And more importantly, I won't let you get to the others, and I definitley won't let you get near Jack. I'm going to make everyone see what you are, and then you'll be gone. "

He laughed again, " You can't do that. They all think you're mental for forgetting me. They all think I've been here years. " He smirked, " Jack's very precious to you, isn't he? "

" You leave him alone," she said protectively - Jack was very protective of Lily, but she could be every bit as much towards him.

Adam smirked and she wanted to wipe it straight from his face, " I can't get to you," he said, " but there's no reason I can't get to Jack. Fill him full of false memories until he explodes. "

Lily's eyes widened and she realised how Adam worked, " That's it, isn't it? I knew you'd gotten into their heads, but you need them to live, don't you? You've got to stuff those lot with false memories, otherwise you'll die. Well, I'll tell you one thing - you're despicable. You mark my words, you won't be around much longer. "

Adam shrugged, " Fine. You try and do anything to me, and I'll make sure Jack suffers. "

There was a tense pause between then, interrupted when Jack pushed open the door. He was suprised to see the pair of them looking as though they'd been arguing, and he looked between them.

" You alright? " he asked, mainly looking at Lily.

She nodded, choosing not to mention anything yet. She was going to expose him once she was sure the others would believe her, and the others all knew what he was like.

" Adam, I need those Audits doing," Jack told the other man, " Owen, Ianto and Tosh are all busy, but I'm sending Gwen home. Lily, I have nothing for you to do either, so you can go home. "

" Brilliant," Lily said with a smile, " I'll get my coat and go home. My secret boyfriend will be missing me. "

Jack folded his arms as he looked at her and he seemed better now - whatever had freaked him out before seemed to have gone away. " You know," he said, " it's all very well and good, you having a secret boyfriend, so long as I get a secret boyfriend too. "

Lily pouted and Jack laughed at her. Adam watched the pair of them being happy together and shot Lily a glare before leaving the room. Lily sighed when he was gone and Jack immediately wanted to grab her and look after her.

" What's going on now? " he asked her, "with Adam? "

Lily moved closer to him and laced one of her hands in his, " I need you to trust me on this one," she told him, her other hand moving to face, caressing his cheek lightly - she wasn't used to having to comfort Jack. He usually comforted her. " I know it's hard, kitten, because you think you know him, but you don't. All you need to know is, he's not real, and he's messing with your memories to make you all think he is. Not me because I've got too strong defences for him. " She stroked his cheek lightly, one her toes slightly to reach up, " He's fooling you Jack, and you can't trust him. "

" Then what do we do? " he asked quietly, giving her that intense stare that only he seemed able to do so well.

" We be on our guard," she told him, stroking his cheek so lightly that his eyes fluttered closed, " and we don't let him know anything just yet. Once we can show the rest of the team what's going on, we unmask him for what he is. I know it's hard for you, but just trust me. And try not to let him touch you. I don't want him sending any more of these memories into your head. "

" Can't you get rid of them? " Jack asked her, opening his eyes to look at her.

" No, kitten, " she sighed, " I looked Owen over. Adam's work isn't strong enough to get to me, but he's done a good job with the rest of you. It's too complex for me to get rid of properly, but we'll get it sorted. "

Jack nodded and Lily pushed herself up on her toes to kiss his lips softly, barely grazing them.

After a moment, Jack kissed back applying more pressure and nibbling her lip lightly, bringing one hand to her waist. She kissed him back and his other hand wandered up to her chest, cupping her gently through the fabric of her shirt - ever since the Master and what had happened on the Valiant, Jack always took care to be gentle and careful with Lily. He knew she'd let him know if she wanted to go further.

He brought his lips to her ear and whispered against her, " How about we lock ourselves in the office, draw the blind and pretend we have work to do? "

Lily shook her head, laying her hand over his and moving it away from her, " Now is _not _the time, kitten. Or Tiger, with the way this is going ... "

Jack sighed, " I .... I suppose. Though you can't blame a guy for trying - it's been three days. "

Lily rolled her eyes and distangled herself from Jack's arms, tapping his nose lightly, " No. Down, boy. "

He pouted, and she stuck her tounge out, taking a few steps around him. Jack had the ability to drive her crazy, and her self control just didn't work when he was around. She loved all the human things about him - the way his skin temperature was higher than hers, his single heartbeat, the way he was just Jack.

He whined as she turned her back on him and she turned to face him again, one hand lingering on the doorhandle

" I'm going down to the archives - there's a few things Ianto found me that need filing again," she told him.

Jack eyes lit up and Lily shook her head at him.

" No, Jack," she said, before he could open his mouth, " "I'm going to the archives" is _not _code for "please follow me so you can have your wicked way." Nor is "I'm off to get a drink", "I'll be practising my shooting" or "I think I'll go read a book. " " She stopped and sighed, " well ... I guess it is sometimes, but not this time. "

Jack watched her go with a wistful smile, and then shook himself - he knew he'd get what he wanted later that night. Surely she couldn't neglect him - she'd drive him crazy. He sighed and went back to his office.

Lily filed away what she needed to and when she came back upstairs, Jack and Adam were pulling on their coats. Lily frowned - she didn't like the idea of Jack spending time alone with Adam - anything could happen to him.

" You're going out? " she asked.

Jack tossed Lily's coat at her, " I take it you're coming too? We need to go to Gwen's right away. She says there's an intruder in her house, so we're going to check it out. Adam and I, that is. "

As soon as Lily heard that Jack was going somewhere alone with Adam, she started pulling her coat on - she wasn't going to risk anything happening to Jack - he was far too special to her. Also, as much as she didn't like Gwen, Gwen was a member of the team, and she had to put up with her - Jack liked her so that was reason enough for Lily. If anything happened to Gwen, the others would be upset.

Jack tossed Lily her stun gun as she finished fastening up her coat, and then the three of them hurried out of the hub and towards where the SUV was parked. Jack jumped into the drivers seat, and Lily didn't hesitate in getting into the passenger seat, leaving Adam to get in the back

The drive was tense, and there was very little conversation between the three of them. Adam was full of fake concern and tried to make conversation, but Lily wasn't up for it, and Jack was on his guard now, thanks to Lily.

When the car parked up, Jack looked at his companions.

" We need to get in there quick, for Gwen," he said, " God knows what could be happening to her. "

Lily nodded and followed he and Adam to the front door, all of them running as fast as they could. Gwen let them into the flat, and they made their way to her urgently to her. When they entered the flat, Gwen shouted for them to come to her.

Lily took a breath, wondering who could be in there to scare Gwen so much, and was completely puzzled when they entered the room to see Gwen pointing her gun at Rhys, who was just as confused.

" What's going on? " Jack frowned.

" You tell me! " shouted Gwen, shaking her head, " Look! " She held up a framed photograph of she and her fiance and showed it to them, " he's put up photos of us! He must have done it while I was at work! He's deluded! Says he's my boyfriend! "

" Gwen," Lily said quietly, " he is. It's Rhys. "

" I've never seen him before in my life! " shouted Gwen, shaking her head, eyes widening.

" You've been with him for years," Jack said calmly, as Lily tried to rack her brains and figure out why Gwen couldn't remember the man she loved.

" See? " Rhys snapped, annoyed.

" Give me the gun, Gwen," said Jack carefully, holding out a hand. Lily hated the thought of Jack handling guns sometimes, since it was so dangerous, and even though she knew he couldn't die.

" No! " Gwen said firmly, " He ... he grabbed me, Jack! Who knows what he was going to do? "

" How can you say that? " Rhys demanded, hurt, before looking at Jack and angrily asking, " what have you done to her? I know what kind of sick games you play. Pills that make you forget - is that what it is? Are you phasing me out so you can have her all to yourself? "

" Hey! " Jack protested, while Lily shook her head at Rhys and threw a concerned look at Gwen. The next thing she knew, Rhys had lunged forward and grabbed Jack, so Jack grabbed him back. Lily rolled her eyes and moved forwards as the hold got more violent.

She moved forwards swiftly and laid a hand on Jack's upper arm and one on Rhys' trying to make them calm down. Rhys struggled from under her hand and glared at she and Jack, before remembering himself and taking a deep breath. Jack turned away from Rhys in frustration and put a hand to her cheek lightly before removing it and looking at Gwen.

" Come on, Gwen," he said, after everything had calmed down. " This is Rhys. "

" I bought you the bloody ring you're wearing! " Rhys burst out.

Gwen hesitated and then brought her hand up, looking shocked to see the ring there. Lily wondered if she'd be able to help Gwen get her memories back - if this was down to Adam, it would be difficult for Lily to erase all of his work, but she could try to get rid of some of it, she supposed.

" Why don't you come back to the hub with me? " asked Adam, " we can check you out ... Jack will stay here and take care of things. "

Jack nodded wordlessly and then Gwen finally lowered the gun and headed for the door, following Adam. Lily was unsure whether to stay or to go - she could probably help Gwen if she tried hard enough, but she might be able to help talk Rhys around.

" You go with those two," he told her, " I'll call you soon. "

" Don't let him go," Gwen said, as Lily nodded at Jack and went to join Gwen and Adam, " If he comes after me again, I'll kill him. "

_TWTWTWTW_

Gwen was sitting on the table in the autopsy bay, where Lily had been not too long before. Owen checked her over, while Lily and Adam watched, Lily watching Adam carefully and suspiciously.

" I'm sorry," Owen said, putting down a penlight, " no signs of long-term damage, as far as I can see, or alien intervention. It's a mystery to me, why you can't remember Rhys. "

Lily frowned, " I don't know. Gwen, would you mind if .... I know it's a difficult for you, but could I look into your mind? Maybe I might be able to draw your memories out a bit. I could at least try .... "

Gwen hesitated - she and Lily didn't get on so well, but she supposed they'd have to make an effort. " Okay," she mumbled.

Lily nodded and the pair of them crossed the hub - Lily wanted to do this away from Adam. Adam followed the pair of them, and Lily led them to the door of Jack's office

" In here," she said.

" Do you think Jack will mind us just wandering into his office? " Gwen asked.

Lily couldn't help but smirk and she shrugged a little, " One, I get to decide whether he sleeps in our bed or on the sofa so he'll do what I want, two, this is a special case, and three, what he don't know won't hurt him. Adam ... would you mind giving us a bit of privacy? "

She opened the door to let Gwen in and then closed it after her, leaving Adam out in the hub.

She smiled slightly as she passed the manhole cover that led to she and Jack's bedroom, but pushed the thought out of her mid to concentrate and had Gwen sit down in a chair. Lily sat opposite her and then looked at her, attempting a smile.

She reached out carefully to put her fingers to Gwen's temples and spoke quietly, " I'm just going to take a look. I might be able to give some of the memories back, but they've been tampered with, so I'm not sure how much I can do for you. It might be a matter of time. You might have to wait until you can remember on your own. "

" It's ... it's scary," Gwen whispered, showing Lily her weakness as much as she didn't want to, " if I love this man, how could I have forgotten him? Is it like you forgetting about Adam? "

Lily frowned and didn't reply. " Just close your eyes," she said, " and keep still. You don't have to do anything. "

With that, Lily closed her own eyes and pushed into Gwen's mind. Just like in Owen's, she could see that memories had been tampered with, and she pushed deeper, until she could hear Gwen's voice inside her head, and see vague picutres of her memories. She concentrated and pushed past Adam's last barrier until she could see a memory of Rhys. She concentrated on pulling it out, drawing the memory forwards with effort, and then her eyes snapped open, as she'd overworked herself - mental work was tiring and she didn't have to use it often, so she wasn't used to it.

Gwen's eyes snapped open too and she looked at Lily.

" Did you see the memory I saw? " Lily asked her.

Gwen nodded, looking confused, " I ... I ... yeah. Me and him, standing in the supermarket. It's like ... I can see it, and I can remember it, but I don't know how I felt. I'm so confused. "

" I'm sure it will all come back to you," said Lily with a small smile, " but I don't know I can help you much more. What I've helped you remember should trigger the rest - if you go home and talk to Rhys, you might be able to remember him. "

Lily felt sure that Adam was the cause of this - disturbing Gwen's real memories when he added the false ones, and she was only glad that Jack had never forgotten _her. _She couldn't imagine how it must feel for the person you loved the most to not even remember you.

Her ear piece beeped and she put a hand to it, asking, " Yeah? "

" Baby? It's me," came the voice on the other end.

Lily smiled a little, " Can I help you, Captain Harkness? "

" Possibly," he said, " how's Gwen? "

" She's .... not too bad," Lily said, throwing Gwen half a smile, " she can sort of remember him, but not really. I think it'd do her the world of good to talk to him. "

" I was thinking the same," Jack said, " and Rhys would like her home. "

" We'll be there soon," Lily replied, " you can just wait there for us. We'll get Gwen sorted out, then you're coming home with me, and we're going to talk to Tosh, Ianto and Owen about Adam. See what we can do about him. "

" Yes ma'am," Jack said, and she could hear the smirk in his voice - she knew he loved it sometime when she was bossy, but at other times, he like to be the bossy one.

Lily broke the connection between them and as Gwen got to her feet and headed towards the door, Lily smirked and reached for a nearby red pen, spotting a post-it note on the middle of the desk.

She took the lid off the pen and wrote "_My gorgeous kitten " _before adding a kiss and tossing the pen aside, leaving the note there for Jack to see, before leaving the room.

She and Gwen were at Gwen and Rhys' quickly, and Lily parked the SUV on the side of the road before they went up to the apartment. Lily hoped that Gwen would be alright, and she knew they needed to do something about Adam before he could get to everyone - it was already going to be hard enough because he'd managed to get Tosh to fall for him.

Once in the living room of the flat, they found Jack and Rhys standing there. Rhys looked completely deflated, and Jack gave the two women a smile.

Gwen grabbed Jack's arm as she passed him, " Don't leave me here," she said.

" You'll be okay," said Jack with a slight smile, before looking at Rhys too, " you two are going to be fine. You just need to bond again, and Rhys, you need to remind Gwen why you two are in love. You'll be fine, and we'll see you in the morning, Gwen. "

Lily smiled at Gwen, who muttered a thank you in return, and then she and Jack left the flat.

The minute they'd left and we heading back to the SUV, Jack reached out a wrapped an arm around Lily's waist, pulling her closer to him gently.

" What the hell's going on around here? " he asked her with a sigh, " what do we do next? "

" I don't know," she said, " but we need to do it quick. Adam's already reeled Tosh in, he's made Gwen forget Rhys, turned Owen into a geeky mess, and didn't you say you were seeing things earlier? How long before he's screwed Ianto up? He _must _be next on the list. "

Jack sighed again as they got onto the street, " So Gwen is definitley Adam's fault? "

Lily nodded, " The others think it's temporary amnesia like me forgetting Adam, but it's not. I'd never met him before today, and he's made Gwen's memories of Rhys disappear, by filling her with memories of him. I left Owen checking into the possible causes of this amnesia, to make it look like we're working as normal. "

Jack dropped his arm from her as they got to the car and she went for the passenger seat, pulling the car keys out of her pocket and tossing them at Jack. Jack caught them deftly and then unlocked the vehicle.

Lily's earpiece beeped and she took a message from Ianto on the other end, before looking over at Jack, who had his back to her, looking at the other side of the street.

" Weevil sighting by the sewer in Rockall Street," she called to him,. There was no response, and she frowned, putting her hands on her hips.

" Jack," she called out to him, though she still got no response, as Jack was staring at something in the other direction, " Jack! " she shouted, worried about him now.

He turned around to her when she spoke that loud and looked at her - he looked odd. Eyes wide, shaking his head a litle, he frowned, " Can't you see him? "

" Who? " Lily asked, frowning.

Jack turned around to look at something over there and then turned back to her, lookingas if he was completely freaking out.

" Never mind," Jack said, feeling like he really needed to be on his own, because something was messing with him. He needed to get away from everything. " Weevil, you said? I'll drop you off at home, and check out the sighting. "

" I could come with you," Lily said as they got into the car, " I don't like the thought of you being on your own. Not with what's going on. What if Adam ... "

" Adam's not with me, is he? " Jack shrugged, " I'll be fine on my own. I think I could do with the space.

Lily sighed but then nodded, giving in and leaning back in her seat, though she wasn't happy about it, but she supposed Jack could handle himself, and she shouldn't worry about him so much. He'd spent over a century alone. He'd be alright.

When they got back to the hub, and Jack pulled up outside, he looked at Lily and waited for her to get out of the car. She didn't. Instead she sat there and waited, before turned to look at him.

" Something's not right, Jack," she said, " why won't you tell me what's wrong with you? Sure you want to go on your own? "

He shook his head - he wanted to tell her, but he hated the thought of being weak in front of her, and if he told her, that would mean he'd have to think about it, and he didn't think he could manage that.

Instead, he bit his lip, " I'll tell you later. But just ... don't worry about me. I need some space. I'll see you soon. "

Lily was reluctant to let him go, but knew it was better that way, so she nodded. She unfastened her seatbelt and leaned over to plant a light, barely-there kiss on Jack's cheek, sensing that he was worried, panicked and needed some time alone.

She climbed out of the car and headed towards the hub.

_TWTWTW_

Once she was in the hub, Lily checked her watch - 10pm. It was going to be a long night, and Ianto, Tosh, Adam and Owen were all still in the hub. It wasn't unusual for them to all stay late, and there was lots of work to be done.

Lily sat down at her desk and switched on her computer. She smiled when she saw an email from Martha - she and Martha had been emailing regularly since they parted ways, and it was easy to stay in touch since they were both on Earth time, rather than trying to stay in touch with the Doctor.

Lily fell into a long emailing spell with Martha who was also working late - Lily didn't actually have any work to do, and if Jack had been there and it was a normal day, she knew they'd have sent the team home and gone underneath the manhole cover by now - neither of them slept much, so they spent their nights either up talking and telling stories, or keeping each other entertained.

As far as Lily knew, Adam was down in the archives. Not so far away, Tosh was reading test results from her computer, while Owen examined a box, and Ianto leaned up against the doorframe.

Hours passed, and none of them had gone home. While Lily didn't have much work to do, the others did, and they were doing it a little, in between the four of them sitting around and talking.

Adam had told them he was going home a while ago, and though Lily's first instinct had been to follow him, she decided that would have been a drastic move.

Lily frowned as she leaned back in her seat, wondering where Jack was - it had been 4 and a half hours. She was worried about where he was, but she knew he could be trusted. She was more worried about it he was safe, but he'd already rung her twice and told her there were two weevils, and both kept getting away from him. He told her not to worry, but she couldn't help it.

" So," Lily said, looking over at Tosh, as the she, Tosh and Owen sat in the hub, " you and Adam - how's it going? "

Lily was worried by the glint in Tosh's eye and the smile as she replied, " It''s great. You know when you meet someone, and you're sure it has to be true love? " Owen winced at these words and Lily felt a little sorry for him, as well as feeling sorry for Tosh - her friend deserved some love, butnot with Adam.

" So, you think it's the real thing? " Lily asked her carefully, " you know everything about him, and you're completely sure? "

Tosh nodded, " I love him so much it's painful. I'd die for him. That's love, isn't it? "

Lily nodded, " I'd die for Jack," she said without hesitation, leaning forwards and putting her head down on the desk, feeling sleepy.

" But Jack _can't_ die," Owen pointed out.

Lily shrugged, " Don't care. I'd die for him if I had to, because I know it puts him through so much pain every time he brings himself back to life. "

A hand touched her shoulder lightly and she looked up to see Ianto putting a cup of coffee down on her desk with a smile, " You told me to make sure you stayed awake, remember? " he asked.

She nodded, gratefully reaching for the cup. Ianto watched Lily with a small smile as he handed Tosh and Owen their drinks - he'd been jealous of Lily at first, but she was so lovely that he couldn't keep it up, and he knew how happy they were together - he couldn't stand in the way. Lily and Jack were perfect together. He accepted that.

" You know," Ianto said, leaning against the doorframe as he looked at Lily, " if you're tired, just go to bed. We'll lock up here when we're done. "

Lily shook her head, sitting completely upright in her seat, " No. I want to wait for Jack. It's just looking into Owen's mind, and then Gwen's, and trying to keep my own mind clear. It's hard work sometimes. But Jack'll be back soon. "

Ianto gave her another small smile and then turned his attention to Tosh when she called his name. She held up a small wooden box she'd been examining and held it out to him.

" Any ideas? "

Ianto pondered it and then said, " I think Jack brought it in. "

Owen shook his head, " Nah I'm sure Adam found it a few months ago. "

Ianto shrugged, " I'll have a look in my diary. "

" You write about artefacts in your diary? " Tosh asked, amused.

Ianto winked at her, " Amongst other things," he said, before turning to leave, in search of her diary. Lily smiled a little and looked at Tosh and Owen. " Got any more work to do? " she asked.

Both shrugged and mumbled that they hadn't.

Lily waved her hand at them, " You might as well get going then. I'll finish writing about that box thing, when Ianto's got some findings for me. You've been here long enough. "

Tosh and Owen both seemed pleased with this arrangement, and bade Lily goodbye before leaving. Lily sighed when they were gone and pulled open her desk drawer, taking out one of her favourite books. Pride and Prejuduice. A classic.

She opened the book and started at page one.

Ten minutes later, she thought she heard noises coming from the kitchen, where she knew Ianto had gone to look for his diary - she knew it would be in there, near the coffee machine that only Ianto was allowed to touch.

When she got to the kitchen, she could hear more than one voice.

She peered through the window and saw Adam - much to her suprise - with his arms around Ianto, Ianto clinging to him. Adam patted Ianto on the forehead and then walked away from him, flinging the door open to find Lily standing there.

" I thought _you'd _gone home," she said accusingly.

Adam sneered at her, " I took a detour. First, I went to see your darling Jack, but then I came back here and found that poor Ianto had been having doubts about my exsistance - I thought I'd better wipe that out. Good night. "

Lily reufused to move, and Adam pushed her aside firmly. Lily turned and shouted after him as he left the hub, but when it was clear there was nothing she could do, she cautiously entered the kitchen.

She was shocked when she saw the state of Ianto.

He was standing there with wide eyes, tuyrning this way and that as he looked around the room. His eyes settled and Lily and he took a step backwards, whispering, " No. "

" Ianto? " Lily asked quietly, " what's wrong? "

He shook his head and backed away from her, until he was up against the fridge. He whimpered with fright and and slid down until he was sitting on the floor, Lily watching him, completely bewildered, and didn't quite know what to do as she saw him sitting on the ground, crying.

Lily paused before moving forwards, knowing she needed to do something. She moved to him and sat down beside him, reaching out to touch his arm.

He looked up at her through his tears and distress, " Don't," he said, wrenching his arm away, " it's not safe. " He shook his head, whispering, " you're not safe, Lily. You shouldn't be here. "

Lily frowned, starting to panic, " What are you talking about? I live here. "

" Not safe. "

" Why not? " she asked, touching his shoulder lightly, though once again he moved away from her touch.

" You," he said, " you're not safe - I could hurt you. Lock me up before I hurt anyone else. I'm a mnurderer, Lily. What if I snap? What if you're next? You and me ... alone. I'm dangerous. "

Lily shook her head, horrified - she couldn't believe he'd been made to think like this. Ianto wouldn't harm anyone. " No," she said, " I promise you, you're not. Whatever Adam told you, it's not true. "

" But I remember it," Ianto said , terrified.

" No! " Lily said, " it's all lies! Ianto, he's lying to you. Please, don't believe it. You're not a murderer. Youd never do that. I ... you're not. "

Ianto looked at her with those wild eyes and she didn't quite know what to do. He told her to leave, again, and she had no intentions of leaving. They sat in silence for a few moments, until Ianto let out a loud sob, and Lily reached out, Ianto this time accepting her. She put her arm around him - he seemed so young and vunerable - and he leaned in and rested his head against her shoulder, sobbing against her as she smoothed down his hair.

She wasn't quite sure how long they stayed like that, but her head snapped up when she heard quiet footsteps across the hub. She knew Jack would be searching to see who was still around, and it was only a minute before the kitchen door opened.

She looked up from her position on the floor and met his eyes as he peered around the door.

" Hey," she said quietly, so quiet she was supised her heard.

He gave her a smile and she saw it wasn't a full smile and wondered what Adam had done to him. " I'm home," he told her, stepping into the room before frowning when he saw the sight in front of him. " What's going on? " he asked, seeing Ianto's face buried against Lily, Lily's hand lost in Ianto's hair.

Lily sighed, " It's not ... things are really bad, Jack," she sighed.

Ianto's head snapped up and he looked at Jack, with the terror filled eyes that made Jack stare in suprise. It was clear that Ianto wasn't in a good state, and he scrambled to his feet, leaving Lily to get to her feet after him.

Jack swiftly moved towards the pair of them and Ianto grabbed the front of Jack's coat tightly, clinging to him. " You'll have to put me in the vaults," he said, as Lily watched in despair, " lock me up. I killed three girls. Strangled them. "

Jack shook his head, " Stop kidding around. "

Ianto suddenly let go of Jack and darted towards Lily, al over the place, trapped in the memories again. He moved towards Lily and she moved backwards, until she slammed her back against the sink - she knew Ianto wouldn't ever hurt her, but he was being so scary.

He stopped just in front of Lily, and Jack watched carefully, not sure what to do. Ianto looked at Lily and told her, " I murdered them. " He looked over his shoulder at Jack and then back at Lily, " in cold blood. " He reached out a hand towards Lily's neck, though he didn't touch her, " strangled them. "

He sudenly changed direction again, leaving Lily to breath a sigh of relief. He told Jack, " You have to lock me away. Before I turn on you. None of you are safe. "

He darted past Jack, but Jack grabbed his arm to stop him, drawing him in.

He pulled him into a strong hug, holding him against his chest, muttering, " What happened to you? "

" I'm a monster," said Ianto, sobbing again.

He seemed to really believe it, and Lily didn't know how they could go from him thinking himself a monster, to being fine afterwards. There was a lot they were going to have to do next - they needed to make Ianto remember what he really was.

Jack held Ianto for a long moment, and Lily watched, trying to decide what to do next. When Jack eventually released Ianto (Lily would have been jealous if it were not for the situation) he looked over at his girlfriend, " Well? "

Lily bit down on her lip and then answered, " I could take a look. We need to make him realise it's all Adam. Ianto isn't a murderer. Adam's made him think he is. It's not real. I'll take a look. "

She got Ianto to come and sit on the sofa, leading him through to the recreation room. He sat on the sofa, and she sat beside him, while Jack stood up, arms folded, watching them.

Lily smiled at Ianto, trying to be reassuring, " Now," she said gently, " I want to take a look in your mind. All you've got to do is try and forget everything and be open, m'kay? I'll see parts of your memory, and you might see them too. I'm going to try and take away Adam's work, so you can see you didn't do anything. "

Ianto nodded, letting Lily take over.

Lily leaned over and put her fingers to his temples, resting her forehead against his, pushing into his mind. She felt worried about exerting herself - she wasn't used to it, and this was the third time in a day. She'd have to practise more on Jack - but she pressed on. She could see bits of memories and hear bits of his voice.

Then she hit Adam's barrier and the beginning of the false memories. She concentrated and pushed against it, managing to get past. She tried to force out some of Adam's work, and with an effort, succeeded in pushing away the memory of Ianto killing one girl. She kept going and pushed away the second, starting to pulling out the memory of Adam forcing Ianto into thinking he was a murderer.

All of a sudden, she hesitated, and then she found herself slipping away from his mind until she slumped back against the sofa.

" What happened? " Jack demanded, rushing forward and kneeling on the floor beside the sofa.

Lily groaned as she sat up and looked at Jack, " Think I over stretched myself. Need more practise. "

Jack reached out and covered Lily's hand in his own large hand, before turning to Ianto, who was looking around, suddenly more aare, as if he was coming to his senses.

" Well? " Lily asked, hoping she'd done the job.

Ianto considered her for a moment before nodding, " I ... I remember Adam. Before, in the kitchen. He put his hand to my head, and made me ... he said he'd fill me with fake memories. That's how he works, he says. "

Lily nodded, " Ianto, Adam's not one of us. I found out when I got back here, but we'd been waiting to tell everyone else until we could prove it, and until some of you lot started to believe it. Adam's been feeding himself in. "

Ianto didn't quite know what to say, and Jack filled Ianto in on Adam. When he was done, he announced that he was going to check the CCTV, but he thought Ianto should get some sleep. Ianto shrugged and looked along the length of the sofa, which was looking quite tempting.

Lily stood up, and almost immediately, Jack pulled her into hug. She rested against him and felt that she could go to sleep right there.

" Adam," she said, looking at Jack, " he said he'd seen you. "

Jack suddenly looked like he didn't want to talk about it, which infuriated Lily as she looked up at him.

" Jack," she said, her hands curling into his coat as she rested her head against his chest again, trying to cosy up against him and bury herself against him. " tell me. Please. "

She saw Jack look over her shoulder to Ianto, and then looked back at her.

" Grey," he said after a pause, hugging Lily tighter as he spoke, " Adam made me relive it. Worst day of my life, Lily. I ... " she heard the break in his voice, but she also heard him push it away, " I let go of him hand. One of the worst days of my life. My little brother. "

" I know, kitten," Lily said, looking up at him and getting on her toes so she could kiss his cheek. He clung to her and she left a trail of kisses from his cheek down to his neck.

" It's the last thing I want to think about," he sighed, " and it's all down to Adam. "

He paused and then he was guiding Lily backwards, until she was stood in front of an armchair in the room. " Now," he said, attempting a smile, though it didn't quite work, " I want you to get some sleep. I'm going to check the CCTV. You _sleep._ "

Lily nodded, and when Jack released her, she sunk down into the armchair, curling her knees up to her chest. Jack smiled at her and shrugged off his jacket, covering her with it, as if it were a blanket - she wasn't cold, and she didn't need it, but she pulled up it around her anyway and smiled.

_TWTWTW_

Hours later, Lily woke up to find she was in the room alone. Ianto was no longer sleeping on the sofa, and he must be up working, she deduced. Another look around told her she wasn't alone - Jack was standing leaning in the doorway, watching her.

" God," she said, sitting up, " that's creepy, you know. Seriously, watching me sleep? "

" But you're so beautiful," he told her with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

" Liar," she said, throwing his coat off her. Jack crossed the room and stopped in front of her, taking both of her hands and pulling her up to her feet, so she stood just in front of him. He leaned down and kissed her, keeping hold of her hands.

When they broke the kiss, Lily laid her hands on his chest and pushed him back a little, giving herself the space to think. After a moment, she asked him, " What about Adam? "

" Now," he said, pointing towards the door, " everyone's here. We're going to have to expose Adam for what he really is. I've got it all planned - we expose him, lock him up, and have to retcon everyone to make us all forget him. "

" Retcon won't work on me," Lily told him.

Jack nodded, " I know. But Adam hasn't gotten to you. The rest of us will forget what he's put in our minds and he'll disappear. The only problem is, you'll remember everything he did to us all. But you're perfect - you can .... you can handle it, right? "

" Yeah," Lily said, " but I'm glad everyone else will forget it. " She knew it might be hard to be able to remember how vunerable Adam could make Jack, what a wreck he'd made of Ianto, Gwen's weakness, Tosh's love for Adam, and Owen's love for Tosh, but shed manage.

" That's my girl," Jack said, before looking at the door.

Lily nodded - she hated everything "Adam" had done to her friends, and she couldn't stand the thought of him getting to Jack, and forcing Jack to relive his brother's death. Jack had told her the story a while ago, on the TARDIS, and she knew it was one of his greatest regrets, and he'd never forgiven himself for it.

" You can do this," she told him, confidently.

With that, Jack swept from the room, and Lily followed him.

In the main area, Adam was sitting at his desk while Gwen and Owen spoke at Gwen's desk, Tosh and Ianto hovering nearby. She spotted a bouquet of flowers on Tosh's desk, and looked at it in question, before meeting Ianto's eyes. Ianto nodded towards Owen and Lily couldn't resist a smirk - she wished Owen was actually that sweet, because Tosh deserved someone like that.

She watched as Jack casually crossed the room, before stopping behind Adam and calmly cocking his gun to the back of the other man's head.

" Talk to me, Adam," he said, " if that's even your real name. "

The rest of the team - barring Ianto and Lily - looked completely stunned, and they could only stare at their boss. Adam swivelled around in the chair, to face Jack.

" What are you doing, Jack? " Gwen asked.

Jack shook his head, keeping his gun trained on Adam's face. Lily watched him carefully, worried for him, even though she knew he couldn't die, and she was being irrational.

" He's not who you think he is," Jack told everyone, " he's been feeding himself into our memories, by touch. "

" Is this some kind of joke? " Tosh asked, making Lily feel sorry for her.

" He didn't exist until two days ago," Jack continued.

" Jack, we've known him years," Owen pointed out, confused, " he's part of the team. "

" No," Lily said quietly but strongly, " he made you think that. "

" Come on Jack," Adam sighed, reaching out for Jack, though Jack wasn't having it and took a step backwards, shaking his head, " you don't get to me like that," he said, glaring.

" Jack, you _know _me," Adam said, " don't listen to Lily, she's just forgotten me. Underlying problems. You recruited me. "

Jack shook his head, " She's the person I trust above everyone else," he said fiercely, " and when I think of my team, I see you there, but I don't feel anything for you. no pride, no warmth, no love ... "

" Maybe you've just forgotten him," Gwen offered frantically, " like I did with Rhys? "

" No," Lily said, " that was all him. He makes you think you know him, pushing out your real memories. "

" I have no idea what you're talking about," Adam said, shrugging.

" Liar," Lily said, narrowing her eyes, " you don't get to me, and you admitted that you're a fake. I've seen what you do. "

" Enough talk," Jack said harshly, reaching down to grab Adam's shirt, " I'm taking him to the vaults! "

" This is ridiculous! " protested Adam and Jack shoved him forwards, holding him by his shirt, forcing him towards the stairs that led to the vaults.

" No! " shouted Tosh, grabbing her own gun and pointing it at Jack's back, forcing Jack to turn around to face her as she cocked the gun. Lily looked at Tosh, and saw how scared she was about losing Adam, who she thought she loved, and realised that she might be dangerous when she saw the look in her eye.

Tosh moved forwards, pointing the gun at Jack, who still held Adam's shirt, her hand shaking. Lily saw Tosh's finger move to the trigger, and she immediately moved in front of Jack, standing between he and Tosh.

Tosh moved the gun from them towards Gwen and Owen, who tried to take the gun from her, and thne back to Lily. Jack laid his free hand on Lily's waist and tried to shove her out of the way in a panic.

Lily refused to move - Tosh was her friend. And Tosh didn't have it in her to kill Lily. Sure, Tosh might know that Lily would live on, but she'd lose one of her lives. She was certain Tosh wouldn't shoot at them.

Jack moved his hand to Lily's shoulder, trying to get her out of the way again, while Tosh continued to point the gun at them.

" Move," Jack told her firmly, " I can handle a bullet. I won't have you getting shot. "

" Yeah, but then Adam might get away," Lily pointed out, before lowering her voice, " she won't shoot if she's going to end up hitting me. "

Jack looked at Tosh from over Lily's head, keeping one hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, holding her closer to him when it became clear that she wasn't going to move. He tried to reassure Tosh, " I'm just going to lock him up. "

As Jack tried to reassure Tosh, Lily caught Ianto's eye - the pair of them seemed to have reached some sort of understanding, and they became sort of friends, though not firm friends - and she nodded at him. He inched forwards slowly towards Tosh.

" Let him go," Tosh demanded.

" I'm not going to harm him," Jack promised.

" Why should I believe you? " the poor woman continued, eyes filling with tears.

" Tosh, we can talk about this! " Owen called, making her spin around to face him and giving Ianto the chance to grab the gun and try to wrestle it from her. Tosh wasn't keen on this and tried to fight him off, while everyone watched in concern and panic, Jack taking the opportunity to focus on Adam and make him move again.

" Get off! " Toshiko was screaming, " let go of me! Adam! "

Jack was leading Adam away swiftly, while Tosh, no longer holding the gun, pushed away both Ianto and Owen, falling to her knees with an anguished cry. Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair and then looked around at the rest of the team, taking control.

" Listen," she said, " I know this is hard, but I'm telling you, this is the truth. He's infected you all, and he needs to be wiped away. "

" I just can't believe it," Gwen sighed

" I know it's hard," Lily nodded, " how about you lot go through to the conference room. The rest of us will join you soon. " When they all looked at each other and agreed, Lily gave them a thankful smile, and they filed out of the main hub.

Lily moved over to Tosh and laid a hand on her shoulder, kneeling beside her.

" I'm sorry," she whispered, " I'm so sorry. "

Tosh sniffed and looked up at Lily, " It can't be true. I ... he's Adam. I thought I knew him so well. "

" Maybe we never know someone as well as we think we do," pointed out Lily, rubbing Tosh's shoulder lightly, " you're going to have to let this one go, Tosh. He's no good for you. "

Tosh nodded, letting out a sob, " I thought he was the one. I .... why can't I ever find anyone? Why can't ... "

Lily interrupted her, " You _will _find someone. It sounds so cliched, but there's got to be someone for everyone. Fate always wins in the end - I mean, look at me and Jack. What are the chances of a time travelling alien finding her soulmate in a con artist ex-time agent? All down to fate. "

There were footsteps not so far away and both looked up to see Jack standing there, looking at them, very little expression on his face. He moved closer and Tosh got to her feet without saying anything, Lily also getting up.

Jack brushed some of Tosh's hair away from her face, wishing she hadn't gotten in so deep with Adam, and Tosh simply looked back at him, before shaking her head and going towards the conference room.

Lily tried to smile at Jack, and he gave her a smile in return, raising one eyebrow.

" Con-artist ex-time agent? " he asked her, " is that all you think of me? "

Lily couldn't help but smirk as she shook her head, " There's lots of names I could call you," she said, " but many of them aren't suitable to repeat. "

Jack laughed at her, despite the serious situation, and then they joined the others at the conference room.

Owen, Tosh, Ianto and Gwen were sat around the table, while Lily stood at the bottom, and Jack at the head, both with their arms folded. Behind Jack was a monitor with CCTV footage of Adam in his cell.

" Our memories define us," Jack told everyone calmly and quietly, " Adam changed those memories .... changed who we are. Now we need to go back, find a memory that defines you. Rediscover who you are. Then he should be gone when we're done. "

Lily nodded in confirmation of this.

Jack then pressed a button to dim down the lights, " Let me take you all back to before we met," he told them, " Feel around for anything that makes you you. Tell me where you are. "

The four of them sat there, each staring forwards, completely unmoving, all lost deep in thought while Lily watched them carefully, feeling for them all.

" College canteen," Gwen said, before getting lost in her thoughts. Her mouth twitched into a smile as Lily watched, oblivious to whatever joke she was thinking of, and then she laughed out loud.

Her attention switched to Owen, who took over, " My birthday. I'm ten. Mum spends the whole day screaming. I love you because you're my son, but I don't have to like you. "

" Maths club," Tosh mumbled, " something so reliable. "

" Meeting Lisa," Ianto said, referring to the girlfriend Jack had briefly mentioned to Lily, though he'd refused to go into detail, " falling in love. Never felt so alive. "

Lily was feeling emotional at the way her friends spoke, and the hidden emotions they all brought to the surface, a backstory to each of them, that she didn't really know. Tosh was talking again, " My first flat. There's no flat warming. There's no-one I want to invite. "

" I turn 16," Owen said, revealing a side that Lily never would have thought he'd had, " she packs my bags. Nicest thing she did for me in years. "

" Kissing him in the supermarket," said Gwen, " the look on his face. "

" Losing Lisa," Ianto said simply.

Gwen sighed softly, " I love him," she said, before turning to Jack and adding, " but not in the way I love you. " Lily was suprised by this but said nothing. It wasn't important right now. Jack simply handed Gwen a retcon tablet.

" Knowing there has to be more to life than this," Tosh said quietly, her cheeks completely wet with tears, " knowing I'm special, and waiting for someone to see it. "

" I saw it," Jack said hoarsely, handing her a tablet too and moving around the table to Owen, who turned to look at him. owen said, " You save one life. You save a hundred lives. But you'll save me? "

" I will," Jack replied simply, putting the third tablet down

" Coming here," Ianto revealed, " gave me meaning. " He looked Jack straight in the eye, " You gave me meaning. "

Jack nodded and tenderely kissed the top of the younger man's forehead, before pressing the pill into his palm, while Lily watching only hoping all her friends would be alright.

" Now," Lily said, taking over, " you've all got a short term amnesia pill, which will wipe out the last 48 hours. You'll forget Adam, and you'll go back to who you were. Take the pill. It'll make you sleep. You'll wake up in the morning, and you'll have no idea why you all slept here. You won't know, and we'll carry on working. "

" You'll still know? " Owen asked Lily.

She nodded, " I'll remember it all. But I won't mention it. It's gone. "

Ianto was the first to take the pill, not even hesitating. Tosh took longer, looking at Owen, who was already watching her. Owen cast aside his geeky glasses, leaving them on the table and taking the pill. Gwen took it next, leaving only Tosh, who shook her head, looking between Lily and Jack.

" I'm going to lose so much," she sobbed.

" None of it was real," Jack reminded her.

" He said he loved me," Tosh mumbled.

Lily shook her head, " I already told you. You'll find someone who really deserves you. Promise you. "

Tosh hesitated before taking her pill, but then took it, closing her eyes tightly. The team were all beginning to droop in their seats, and some looked more tired than others.

" My turn," Jack said, deflated.

" You can do this," Lily told him, " you can do anything, right? "

He scoffed

" Jack," she said softly, " you're my brave, handsome hero, remember? You can do anything. Go .... go get rid of Adam for good. I'll come down when you've had chance to talk to him, alright? "

Jack nodded and then swept from the room.

Lily could only imagine what he was gong through - having to think about his long dead brother, and Adam dragging up all those memeories of the family Jack would never see again.

She looked around the room at the others, and saw that Tosh had already fallen asleep on the desk, and the others were well on their way. Closest to her, Owen's head began to droop and she moved across and put her hand to his forehead, lowering his head gently to the table.

It was another five minutes before Gwen and Ianto were both asleep and Lily cast a final look over the table before leaving the room and heading for her Jack.

She hurried along to the vaults and when she got there, Jack was leaning against the glass of Adam's cell, crying quietly, while Adam glared at him. She walked down the corridor and stopped just behind Jack. Jack didn't even seem aware that she was there.

" I want the real memory back," Jack whimpered, breaking Lily's heart at the sorrowful tone in his voice - she'd never seen him weak, and she didn't want to.

" What have you done? " Lily asked, making Jack whip around to look at her. She looked at him and then moved to him, coming up against the glass as she adressed Adam.

Adam simply sneered, " Jack had one good memory of his father and brother. I took it and ruined it. " Looking back at Jack, he added, " let me live. That box you all found contains the last good memory of them. You see, I'm part of it now, and I'll like as long as you remember it. "

" That's why you took me back? " Jack sniffed, trying to force away the tears. He took a step away from the cell and folded his arms. Lily looked sideways at him, worried.

" Wasn't it lovely? " asked Adam, gloating, " your dad laughing. Gray, safe and happy. "

Jack shook his head and took out a small white pill, making Lily proud of him, but making Adam panic. Adam shook his head, " I don't want to die! You take that pill and you will lose everything. Wipe me out now and you will lose all memories of your father. He will cease to have exsisted for you. "

Lily hated Adam and she couldn't believe what he was doing to Jack - she couldn't put herself in that position. Her dad had always meant the most to her, until she'd met Jack, and Jack was still the most important to her - equal to her dad. She couldn't even imagine him not being around for her, not even having the memories, so God knew how Jack could deal with it.

She felt a huge surge of pride when Jack shrugged. " Goodbye Adam. "

He took the pill and bit down on it, making Adam cry out. Jack groaned and staggered to the side - he was the last one fighting against Adam, and now Adam knew what was happening, he was trying to push him out, making it much harder for Jack.

Jack groaned as he staggered to the side and reached one hand out to support himself against the wall, breathing heavily. Lily slowly crossed the room to be at his side and laid a hand on his arm. he let out another groan as Adam started to clutch his stomach in pain, flickering as the retcon started to work.

Lily reached out and tried to put her arm around Jack as they waited for Adam to disappear - Lily knew that all she had to do now was to be strong for her love.

Jack coughed and slid down the wall, to the ground. Lily immediately sunk to the floor beside him and as Adam completely disappeared she felt triumphant, and also very pleased that Jack wouldn't be able to remember it - she'd be able to deal with remembering it. He hadn't gotten in her mind.

Wrenching on her heartstrings, Jack let out a sob. Lily reached out and put her arm around Jack's shoulders, trying to pull him to her, even though he was broad shouldered and larger than her, he was left completely vunerable.

He allowed himself to be bundled into her arms, and he slid further down, resting his head against her as she pulled him to her. He sobbed a little, for his brother and father, lost, and all Lily could do was try and comfort him.

" Shhh, kitten," she whispered, smoothing his hair down over and over again, while her other hand rubbed his back lightly, " you've been so brave. "

" No," he mumbled, his voice muffled by being hidden against Lily.

" Shhh," she soothed, being strong for him, " you're my brave, handsome hero, Jack. "

He let out a last sob and then he fell into the deep sleep that the pill demanded. Lily continued to run her hand through his hair as he slept, and trail her fingertips along his cheek, feeling like she needed to protect him. She bent her head down and kissed his cheek lightly before resting her head against his head and closing her eyes, trying to sleep.

_TWTWTWTW_

Lily hadn't slept much that night - she didn't need it, and she spent most of the night slumped against the wall, looking down at the gorgeous man in her arms.

She heard the cog door upstairs wheel open and the sound blare to prove someone had entered the cog door, but she couldn't get up there because that very handsome man was there with her, and she didn't want to disturb him.

He woke ten minutes later, and sat up slowly, frowning.

" Lily? " he mumbled, staring at her.

She smiled, reaching out to touch his cheek lightly, " Hey kitten. "

He frowned, looking around, " What are we doing down here? " He stopped and looked back at her, coming around and coming to his senses, " you're back! You've been gone for a whole day, Lily! "

Lily smiled, remembering that he'd forgotten the last two days entirely, and shrugged, " I got back last night. Found you asleep dow here - figured you must have been working late and worked yourself all out. "

Jack frowned, confused, " I ... I don't remember. I ... I really can't remember. "

Lily leaned over and kissed his cheek, so glad that everything was going to be alright now, " It doesn't matter," she said, " I'm back now, kitten. "

Jack grinned at her and then stood up, reaching down as always, to offer out his hand. And pulled her to her feet and kissed her softly, moving her backwards against the wall. They shared a soft kiss, lingering and slow, before Lily slid her arms around his middle and drew herself in for her hug.

" I love you," she said, " you're .... I just love you. "

Jack laughed, pleased with her enthusiasm, even though he was confused by what was going on a little, and why they were there, though he accepted it. He smiled at her and hugged her tightly before they broke apart.

" I love you too," he said.

Lily smiled and Jack slid his hand into hers, interlocking her fingers together. She rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand lightly as they left the cells behind, Lily looking over her shoulder at where Adam had been kept - the cell was now empty.

When they got up to the main hub, the rest of the team were around their workstations in yesterdays clothes.

" Jack, how have we lost two days? " asked Gwen as soon as she saw the pair of them.

" What d'you mean? " asked Jack, while Lily told herself not to say anything - she needed to act as if she didn't know anything.

" The last 48 hours," Ianto said, " none of us can remember a thing. "

"The system's blank," Toshiko added, " the CCTV's been wiped. What's been going on? What have we been doing? "

" And when did you get back, spacegirl? " Owen asked her with that cheeky smirk.

" Last night. Late," Lily said, " and as for the last two days, if everything's been wiped, I think there was probably a good reason for it. It'd be better off if we all left it as it is. "

Jack shrugged, " Maybe. Looks like Toshiko got an admirer though," he added, nodding towards the bunch of flowers on Tosh's desk, which made Lily smile a little, casting a little look at Owen.

Tosh snatched up the card and smiled as she read it out, " Toshiko, love and apologies, love Owen. They're from you! "

Owen snorted, " In your dreams, Tosh. I think someone's winding you up, darling. I don't do flowers," he took the card from her and read it, " and I definitley don't do apologies. "

Tosh's face fell as Owen handed back the card. Jack headed off towards his office, and Lily moved over to Tosh. She looked at the card with a smile, unable to resist - she hated that Owen had been in love with Tosh while Tosh wasn't in love with him, and now it was the other way around - she felt sure they'd be brilliant together.

Lily pointed one finger at the card with a small smile and muttered to Tosh, " That is _definitley _Owen's hand writing, isn't it? I'd recognise that sloppy doctor's scrawl anywhere. "

Tosh looked startled and didn't have chance to ask Lily anything, as Lily heard Jack shout her name from across the hub. She rolled her eyes, though she was smiling, and hollered back, " What? "

As she walked towards him, he was holding out a plastic artefact bag with "Adam's Property" written on it.

" Who's Adam? " he asked her.

Lily shrugged, thinking of a comment she'd made to him the day before, " My secret boyfriend. I wasn't going to tell you, but now you know ... "

" _What? " _

Lily laughed and rolled her eyes, " Honestly? I have no idea who Adam is," she lied, " but he can't be very important. "

Jack smirked as the playful grin started to cross his face, " If you have a secret boyfriend, can I have one too? "

" No. "

**Author's Note: Have started thinking about series 4 of DW finale. I don't see why Rose couldn't have stayed with the real Doctor, rather than going back to the parallel world, so I might have her staying on.  
Also, I am thinking of eventually getting a boyfriend (or girlfriend) for Ianto, when my sister suggested that the human 10.5 Doctor could go back to Torchwood with Lily and Jack, and he could be there for Ianto. This seems like a bit of a crazy idea, and it would be weird for Lily to get used to, and it might be confusing, but it could possibly work. Or there might even be no need for the half human Doctor. And I could invent a partner for Ianto, because he can't be on his own while everyone else has someone.**

**Next chapter will be Reset. Or maybe some Jack/Lily (Lick? Jaly? Lack? Jily?) stuff and then Reset the chapter after.**

**Any thoughts about anything? Or about this chapter?**


	9. Lick

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Just a little chapter to show a few Lick moments.**

Chapter Nine

Lily had been at Torchwood eight weeks now, and she loved it. She loved chasing the aliens, messing around with the team, solving cases, and then sending all the staff home so she and Jack could have their home to themselves.

It was one of these nights to themselves, and Lily was lying on her side in the bed, curled up against Jack, the feel of his strong arm around her as she used his head as a pillow. She was listening to his single heartbeat with a contented smile while he played with her hair idly.

" I could stay like this forever," Lily smiled, pressing her lips to Jack's chest lightly.

" Mmmm, me too," Jack agreed, smoothing down her hair, while his other hand traced light patterns across her bare back. " and the best part is, we've got so many nights to do this. Years and years .... just about ... forever. "

" How long have we actually been together? " Lily asked, stopping to think about it.

" Depends how you count it," Jack said, curling a long section of hair around his index finger, " I'd say it was five months before the Game Station. Then the seperation was over a century for me, but a couple of years for you. Then we met again and there was the entire year of _his _reign. Since then it must have been two months. So I'd say we've been together one years and two months. Counting from the reunion. "

Lily nodded, " M'kay. "

" And we're going to be together for the next several centuries," he added.

" Good. "

There was a short pause, broken by Lily mumbling her lover's name, " Jack? Jack, tell me a story. "

Jack chuckled a little, and she felt the vibration through his chest," Aren't you a little old for a bedtime story? "

Lily shrugged, "Nah. Amongst Gallifreyan people, I'd be considered quite young - late teens by human standards. You're almost as old as me, anyway, and _you_ like it when I sing _lullabies. "_

_"_ One, you're 205, I'm - hmmm, was 38 when I met you, plus 138 years of living on Earth, equals 176 years old - 177 in a month or so. That makes you older than me, no matter how old I am. Two, I _like _your lullabies. There's nothing wrong with having a passion for the ancient Gallifreyan language, even if I can't understand any of it. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " You talk too much. I'm not feeling tired, so we'll be here a while. You're going to pass the time by telling me a story. Anything. "

Jack shrugged and then pulled his girlfriend closer to him, kissing the top of her head before beginning one of the crazy stories that she loved to hear.

After a few hours, Lily knew Jack had fallen asleep - she knew the difference between the steady beat of his heart when he was awake, and the deeper, slower beat when he was asleep.

It wasn't long before she fell asleep too.

Lily rarely dreamed when she slept, and when she did, her dreams were abstract and all over the place. Since sharing Jack's bed at her arrival at Torchwood, she found that some nights, when they were both asleep, Jack's dreams managed to seep through to her, and she could see some of them. It was a strange experience, but it made them even more connected.

That night, the dreams started. Her dreams, not Jack's.

She was in the middle of the scratty little bedroom aboard the Valiant, dressed in the low cut, tight fitting clothes the Master had forced her to wear. He was standing in front of her, towering above her, threatening and imposing, as she backed herself against the wall. All she could feel was fear, and the Master reached out to grab her hips.

Lily's eyes shot open all of a sudden, and she scrambled into a sitting position, despite Jack's arm being around her waist. She pushed his arm from her and looked around, wide eyed - she'd never expected to get over it all quickly, and she knew it would be difficult, but it still terrified her when the dreams came back.

She'd disturbed Jack, and woken him up too.

Jack lazily turned his head to one side to smile at Lily until he saw her, knees curled up to her chest, eyes darting around the room. He frowned and sat up, suddenly realising how serious the situation was.

" Lily? " he asked softly, reaching out with one hand to touch her arm.

She didn't jerk her arm away, but she shook her head, bringing one hand to wipe away the tears that formed at the corner of her eyes. " I'm sorry," she mumbled, " I .... I should be over this by now. Just ignore me ... I'll be fine in a few minutes. "

" You had another nightmare? " he asked her, sighing, " I thought they were becoming less frequent? "

" They are," she whispered, " but when I _do _get them, they're horrible. "

" Oh, baby," Jack said, crawling across the bed and gently wrapping his arm around Lily's shoulder. She hesitated before trying to relax, and lean into the touch. " It'll get better, you know. Eventually, they'll go away. And until they do, you've got me to comfort you. "

" You don't deserve this," Lily mumbled, closing her eyes, the dreams make her feel so down, " you deserve someone who isn't messed up. "

" Don't be daft," Jack said, " you're not messed up. And you're right, I don't deserve you - I can only try to be the man you deserve to look after you. But the truth is, you're perfect for me in every possible way, and then some. I'd never had a serious relationship until you, and there'll never be anyone other than you. "

Slowly, Lily's panic subsided, with Jack's gentle words and the soothing hand rubbing her back lightly. She opened her eyes after a while and looked at Jack.

Jack reached out to touch her cheek with the backs of his fingertips, smiling slightly. " There," he said, " my beautiful Lily. Looking as perfect as always. "

Lily scoffed, though she smiled slightly, loving the feel of his gentle fingers on her face, " No, I'm not. "

Jack shrugged, " You always look perfect to me. Even when you're upset. "

She smiled, " You're such a .... "

" Romantic? " Jack finished for her with a cheeky grin.

" Yeah," she nodded, " or at least, you used to be. The first time we met, there was Glenn Miller, slow dancing and champagne. Our first kiss, out there by the bay, there was champagne and star gazing. Later that night, when we got together, there was a swimming pool and a Romeo + Juliet moment. Lately? Not so much. "

Jack raised his eyebrows, " Are you saying you don't think I'm romantic enough? You wound me. "

Lily shrugged, " Nah, I'm only teasing you. You're plenty romantic enough, kitten. Now shut up and kiss me. "

" Yes ma'am. "

TWTWTWTW

Lily was sitting in the hub a week later, the desk phone to her ear as she spoke to Martha - the pair of them had managed to maintain their friendship, and spoke often - and her feet up on her desk and she leaned back.

She laughed down the phone, and was still laughing when Jack threw open his office door and looked across the hub, his eyes meeting hers, and a cheeky smile crossing his face when he saw her.

She raised a hand at him in a wave, and he pouted at her.

" Martha," Lily said, keeping her gaze on Jack, as she twirled the phone cord around her finger, " could you hang on a moment, for me? Jack wants something. "

Martha chuckled, " Sure, and you can tell Mr Harkness that I haven't recieved a reply from my last email ... If I don't get one soon, I think he's fallen out with me. "

Lily smiled to herself and held the phone away from her ear as she shouted towards the office door Jack hovered by, " What do you want? " The rest of the team were at their workstations, and watched in amusement - they'd gotten used to seeing Jack and Lily interact, and it was often quite funny.

" I wouldn't mind a vanilla slice," he said.

" You _are _joking, right? " Lily asked, shaking her head, " it's not my turn - I went the other day. "

" Oh, go on baby," Jack said, giving her the charming grin, " I've put an order in at the bakery 'round the corner, I just need it picking up. I ordered everyone something," he added, as if that made it better.

" I'm not a maid," Lily said, narrowing her eyes.

Jack pulled a face at her, " Please? Someone's got to go pick it up, so why can't you? "

" Why can't _you_? " she asked, " I'm on the phone! "

Jack shrugged, " I'm busy. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " Fine then, but you'd better have ordered me something really nice, to make up for cutting into my phone time. " Putting the phone back to her ear again, she told her friend," I'm going to have to pop out, but I'll talk to you soon. "

Martha replied, " Alright then. I suppose I've got work I should be getting on with. UNIT keeps you busy, you know. "

" So does Torchwood," Lily said, " and when there's no work to be done, the boss certainly creates some. " With this, she cast a glare at Jack, who was listening in on the end of the conversation, " see you later. "

Once she'd put the phone down, she walked over to Jack and held out her hand wordlessly.

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a banknote, pressing it into Lily's hand. She gave him a flash of her own cheeky grin as she pocketed the money, " Only reason I'm with you, I hope you realise. "

" Gold digging alien," he retorted.

Lily shrugged and before she could leave, Jack reached down to kiss her cheek, lips lingering against her skin as he did so. She smiled in spite of herself and then turned away.

" Still not happy about doing the food run," she said, " why can't we find somewhere that delivers, like the pizza place? "

Jack didn't reply, merely smirking at her, and Lily went off to the bakery a few streets away. When she got there, she stood in the queue amongst the humans - whom she'd grown so used to living with, and so accostomed to life as a human - and waited.

When her turn came, she gave Jack's surname and the girl behind the counter handed her a carrier bag of food, before disappearing behind the counter. The carrier bag had biscuits and buns wrapped up in paper for the team, and when the girl returned, she handed over a box in a carrier bag.

Lily took the box from her curiously and looked down at it, looking through the plastic film on top. Her jaw dropped when she looked at a circle chocolate cake, with white writing icing across the front - " Lily, I love you. XXX. "

A smile came to her face, and she couldn't believe Jack had done that for her, for no reason. She loved him too, and everything he did was so perfect - she now understood why he'd wanted her to pick the cake up.

Lily returned to the hub and was smiling broadly when she came through the cog door. She moved over to her desk, greeting Gwen, Ianto, Tosh and Owen, who were all stood around Tosh's computers, talking.

Reaching into one bag, she handed Gwen a danish pastry, Ianto an eccles cake, Tosh an apple turnover and Owen a double chocolate muffin.

She grinned at them again, now in an incredibly good mood, and went over to Jack's office. As always, she didn't knock on the door, going straight in. Jack was sitting in his chair, concentrating on some paperwork.

He looked up at Lily and she walked to him, putting the bags down on his desk. She pulled a vanilla slice out of one and put it down in front of him, and then took the box from the other, looked at the message again, smiled and put it down too.

" Do you like it? " he asked with a lazy grin.

Lily smiled softly, " It's .... it's so sweet," she said.

" I thought I'd make a romantic gesture," he said, " element of suprise and all that. "

Lily looked at the cake again, with a smile, " Thank you, Jack. It's so nice of you to go get the personalised message. Especially on something so yummy and chocolatey. Although, according to this message, I get three kisses. "

Jack leant forward, still sitting in his chair, " I think that can be arranged," he said, to which his girlfriend responded by sitting on the edge of his desk and leaning forwards, kissing his neck, nibbling lightly, then his cheek and then his lips.

" Now," she said, stopping to think, " you've got me a lovely chocolate cake to tell me you love me, but what can_ I _do for _you_? "

" I can think of a few things," Jack said, a suggestive grin crossing his face as he leaned backwards in his chair, and put his hands behind his head.

Lily shook her head, reaching out to tap his nose playfully, " Keep it clean, kitten," she said, sliding off the desk and coming to stand beside him. She laid her hands on his shoulders and started to rub lightly, occasionally stopping to plant a kiss in his hair, run one hand through his hair, or trace the outline of his jawline with her fingertips. She rubbed his shoulders lightly, smiling as she did so, presing down and trying to soothe him and completely relax him. She knew he loved it when she started her massages on him.

Jack closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, making small noises of satisfaction as her hands worked against him. He sometimes thought she must have the most talented hands he'd ever known.

All of a sudden, Lily stopped and removed her hands from Jack's shoulders.

Jack whined in protest, making Lily giggle at the way he had been enjoying it so much, the hands on his shoulders soothing him and making him feel relaxed and completely at ease.

Lily put her hands on the back of his chair and spun him around slowly in the chair, to face her, where she grinned at him. She reached out to lay her hands on his cheeks, her playful grin creeping across her face, before she moved her hands to his tie and started to loosen it off.

" Oh, I should buy chocolate cake more often," he said.

Lily stopped and gave him a stern look, " You think this is what's happening? You bought me off with some food? "

Jack shook his head, " Not at all. I just .... aw hell, I love you, baby, you _know _that. "

Lily grinned, " But I love you more," she argued, succeeding in getting rid of his tie and tossing it aside.

TWTWTWTW

Over the next week, Lily found little notes scattered on her desk, telling her her boyfriend loved her. The week after, she got to her desk three days in a row to find that Jack had left her a packet if those human love heart sweets. On the third week, Lily found a single red rose on her desk every day.

Lily loved the gestures of love and affection, but she was beginning to feel that she couldn't possibly compete with him, and certainly couldn't keep up. She wanted to do something for Jack, because after three weeks of Jack's romantic gestures, she felt she needed to do something in return.

Exactly twelve weeks after Lily's arrival at Torchwood, she decided it was time to do something.

She woke up before Jack did that morning, and smiled. She slept against the wall, where Jack slept by the edge of the bed, meaning Lily would have to climb over her boyfriend in order to leave the bed. She had no problem with this, and pushed herself up to a sitting position, before throwing back the covers and clambering over Jack.

Jack's eyes flickered open and he rolled over to see Lily standing in the middle of the room, wearing only her knickers and one of his blue shirts, which fell to half way down her thighs.

" Nice view, " he said.

Lily shook her head at him, " Sexist pig. "

" What? It's a compliment! "

Lily shook her head at him, " I'm going to go upstairs for a bit, but I want you to stay down here. I'll be back soon. "

He pouted, and she stuck her tounge out in response, before turning away. Stopping at the door to look over her shoulder at him, Lily threw a long, lingering look at the bare chest of the man she felt lucky to share a bed - and her life - with.

Lily padded upstairs, clambering up the ladder, and once she was up there, her bare feet on the cold office floor, she headed for the kitchen. In the kitchen, she opened the fridge, and was pleased to find it fully stocked - everyone on the staff used it for storing bits and pieces in, as they worked long hours and all liked a nibble at work sometimes.

Last week, Lily had decided that she was going to have to start stocking up - she was so used to the TARDIS being able to give her whatever food she wanted whenever she wanted it - and so she went off to the supermarket. She took Tosh with her, since she didn't want to brave the human supermarket on her own, and an hour and a half later, she'd come back to the hub armed with Tesco carrier bags.

Reaching into the fridge, she took out some of the things she'd bought the week before - bacon, sausages, eggs. From the cupboard she took a tin of beans, a loaf of bread and a teabag.

Lily had never had much reason to cook before coming to Earth, and even then, all Torchwood ever did was order pizza or takeaways. She had a vague idea of what she should be doing, and she got to work, humming to herself as she did so.

When she popped up the toast, it was already on its way to being burnt, and she left the bacon and sasuages in the oven for too long, getting them out just in time, but burning her hand as she did so. Half of the beans stuck to the bottom of the pan, but the scrambled eggs turned out just fine.

Lily put all the food on the plate and shook her head as she looked at it. It was pitiful, she thought, and no-where near good enough for what Jack deserved. She shook her head and threw out the toast, the bacon and the sausage and started all over again.

The second time, she burnt it again.

The third time, everything was better - at least, it was as good as it was going to get. She put everything onto a plate and then picked up the cup of tea in the other hand. She headed back for the bedroom, and with great difficulty, tried to balance the plate in one hand while clambering down the ladder, then going back up for the cup of tea and trying not to spill any as she slowly worked her way down the ladder.

She kicked open the bedroom door, carrying the plate of food and the mug, and grinned at Jack, who was sitting up in the bed, watching her with a look of suprise. She put everything down on the bedside table and then threw back the covers, getting into bed with Jack, getting on top of him as she straddled him.

" Good morning, handsome," she said with a teasing grin.

" Well, this is nice," Jack replied, smirking as he brought his hands to her waist, " breakfast in bed? What have I done to deserve this? "

" You're you," she said. " I think that's reason enough, don't you? " She planted a kiss on his lips and the leaned back, pressing her body flush against his, though keeping her lips away from his, telling him, " you do so many brilliant little things for me, and you keep doing the cute little romantic thing. I think I need to do something for _you. _"

Jack tried to kiss his girlfriend's lips, and groaned in frustration when she pulled her head back, keeping out of his reach.

" I've got a proposition for you," she said, " today, I'm going to make it all special for you. Today you're going to relax and do nothing - rift permitting - and I'm going to show you how much I love you. Today, I'm completely at your service, Captain. I submit to your _every_ command today. "

Jack grinned, " In that case, I insist on a kiss. "

" As you wish," Lily said with a sigh, allowing him to capture her lips and kiss her for a long, slow moment, pulling her closer to him and making her feel light headed, until she broke apart from him, hands on his chest. " Breakfast will be getting cold," she told him with a smile, pushing away from him and standing up, pointing at the plate.

" Thank you," Jack said, reaching for the plate and pulling it towards him.

Lily smiled, before looking at him a little sheepishly, " It might not be the best food you've ever had. "

" I don't care," he said, " it's made by you, so that should be enough. Come back to bed and share some with me. " When she shook her head, he added, " I thought I was in charge of you today? Now do as I say. "

Lily's eyes flickered over to the alarm clock and she put her hands on her hips, " I'd better go upstairs," she told him, " it's 8am Jack, the rest of the team will be getting in soon. In fact, I'm suprised they're not already here. You stay down here and have your breakfast, and then you can spend the rest of the day relaxing. "

Jack smiled, liking the sound of that.

" What work do you have that needs doing? " Lily asked, " I could easily manage any of your work. You've got the reports on yesterday's rift activity to write up - I'll do that for you. Anything else? "

Jack stopped to think about it, and replied, " Yeah, you'll need to get in touch with the police to wrap that up. Check CCTV and make sure no-one saw anything. If they did, they'll need retconning. Owen's got to finish the autopsy on the body from the other day, just to make sure it can't have contaminated half of Cardiff. You could always give him a hand with that if you've nothing else to do. And deal with UNIT if they call. " He stopped and looked at her, " is that alright? You don't mind doing my work, do you? I don't want to dump it all on you. "

Lily smiled, " I told you, kitten, you're not working today. You're going to relax. Have a couple of extra hours in bed. Read a book or something. I can deal with everything. "

As she opened the wardrobe, Jack thanked her again, and she reached into the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt, heading for the bathroom. She got changed and made up, ready for work, and crossed the bedroom again, pushing open the door to the little room where the ladder was.

" Hey baby? " Jack asked her.

Lily looked over her shoulder at him.

" This whole submitting to my every whim - how long does it last? Does today include tonight? " Jack asked her, a wicked grin crossing his face as he tried to hide behind his cup of tea.

Lily simply winked, " Of course. "

Once upstairs, Lily found that the rest of them had gotten to work. She walked across the main hub to find Gwen sitting at her desk, typing away, while Tosh fiddled with an unusual looking artefact. She greeted them both and then walked over to see if Owen was in.

She stopped by the railings at the top of the medical bay and looked down to see Owen pulling on a pair of rubber gloves, ready to inspect the body on the slab in front of him. " Morning," Lily called with a smile.

" Hey spacegirl," Owen said, looking up at her.

Lily looked at the body laying on the slab - it had a fairly humanoid body, except for the long tentacle arms and grey skin. " Found anything? " she asked.

" Give me chance," he scoffed, making her smirk - the pair of them got on quite well, and shared a teasing friendship that made Lily consider Owen as a sort of annoying but loveable older brother, while Gwen was the collegue she had to get on with but didn't really like, Tosh was the one she could confide in and was good friends with, and Ianto was one she had a casual friendship with.

Lily reached into her pocket and held up the laser spanner, " D'you want this? " she asked, " might get the job done quicker? "

Owen shook his head - he liked to take this time and examine all the species they came across, taking in every detail as he explored. He smirked a little, " No thanks. I can manage without your alien tricks, darlin'. "

" Have it your way," she shrugged, stowing away her spanner and watching as the resident doctor leant over the body. " I'd better get on with some work," she told him, " but I'll be back to annoy you in a bit. "

" Brilliant," Owen muttered, sarcastically, though the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips gaze him away - he loved having a sparring partner and Lily was quite easy to get on with

As Lily crossed the hub, heading for Jack's office, where she needed to do his paperwork and answer his phone if it rang, as well as making a couple of calls, she came across Ianto, carrying a tray of mugs.

" Morning," Ianto said with a nod, " I made you a coffee. "

Lily smiled and took her cup off the tray, and then Ianto nodded towards Jack's mug, " You might as well take that into Jack's office, if that's where you're going. "

Lily shook her head, " Jack's not working today. "

" Is he ill? " Ianto asked, eyebrows knitting together in concern.

" No," Lily replied, " I've given him the day off. Figured he deserves a day off, and we can easily manage without him. He's still in bed, I think, but I'll take the drink down for him. He'll appreciate a good coffee. "

Ianto nodded in acknowledgement and went on delivering the coffee, leaving Lily to enter Jack's office. She'd been sitting behind Jack's desk, when the manhole cover shifted, and Jack appeared, an hour later.

" You're looking very comfortable in the boss's office," he said, standing in the middle of the room.

Lily shrugged, " What can I say? It's a comfy chair. What're you doing now, anyway? "

It was Jack's turn to shrug. " I don't know, but I couldn't stay in bed all day. I thought I might go for a walk. Get some fresh air. Maybe buy some clothes. Could call into a bar. I might pick up a pretty girl. " He shrugged again, " I might have been joking about that last thing. Now, remind me who's in charge today? "

" You," she said with a coy smile, " despite who's sitting in this chair. "

" Good," Jack nodded, " so as the man in charge, I'd like to request a lovely warm hug from my beautiful girlfriend. "

Lily smiled and pushed herself out of the chair, walking into Jack's open arms. He closed them around her and hugged her to him, where she nestled against his chest with a contented smile. Jack's arms were lovely and warm and she loved it when he hugged her with all his warmth - human body temperature was higher than time lords, and it was perfect.

When they broke apart, Jack was smiling a little, and he touched Lily's cheek lightly with the back of one hand, " I'll go out for a while, but I'll be back before you know it. I'm leaving you in charge of this place, but call me if anything happens. "

Lily laid her hand over Jack's on moved it away from her face, " Go. We'll be fine here. "

" Okay, but - "

" Just go," Lily told him with a confident smile as she walked back around to the desk, " we can manage without you for one day. "

Jack shrugged and then left her to it. He was gone for most of the day, and when he returned, he kissed Lily before going to sit in the recreational room with a book. It had been a fairly quiet day, and Lily let the staff go at 5pm.

After bidding Tosh - who was the last to leave - goodbye, she went down to the bedroom.

Grinning, she opened the wardrobe and pulled out an outfit she'd bought a few days ago, when she'd first thought about this, and hidden at the back of the wardrobe, where Jack wouldn't see it. Once she was fully dressed, she did her make up, tied her hair up, and then stood in front of the bathroom mirror with a smile. Perfect.

She then went back up to Jack's office, taking out a few glasses and a bottle of champagne and pouring them a glass each, before putting a cd in the cd player and getting the remote ready.

She threw open the office door and shouted out, " Jack? Jack! "

" What? " Jack replied from not so far away.

" Could you come in here, please? " Lily called.

When he agreed, Lily smiled in excitement and stepped back into the office, holding a champagne glass in one hand and the remote for the cd player in the other hand. She couldn't wait to give Jack his treat and when he entered the office, he stopped in the doorway, looking completely confused.

" Do you like Glenn Miller? " Lily asked, hitting the play button and making the Moonlight Serenade fill the room. It was the same question Jack had asked her on their first meeting as they stood on top of his spaceship, tethered up to Big Ben.

" What's going on? " Jack asked, looking Lily up and down.

" Do you like it? " Lily asked with a grin. She'd dressed up in what she deemed to be 1940s gear, since that was how Jack had been dressed when she met him (and ever since). She wore a pale blue blouse with a navy blazer, and a navy pencil skirt. She also wore smart little heels and a pair of tanned tights. On her face, was a bright red lipstick and rouged cheeks, with a little black eyeliner. Her hair was tied up in a neat, sleek bun.

Jack continued to stare at her before finding some words, " I ... you .... well. I like this," he said.

Lily grinned as he walked slowly towards her and she gave him a glass of champagne, picking up her own and clinking the glass against his before they each took a sip.

" This is ... unexpected," Jack said.

Lily continued to smile, " I wanted to recreate our first meeting. It was all so romantic and perfect. " She looked down and then looked back up at him, " I wanted to do something special. "

Jack shook his head at her as they listened to the music, " Every day I spend with you is already perfect," he said, " because I've got you. That's all I need to make everything perfect. "

" Enough talk," Lily said, " care to dance? "

Jack nodded and Lily put both of their glasses down on the desk, before offering out her hand. Making Lily's heart jolt, Jack acted exactly the way he had done on that perfect 1941 night. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, taking her hand in his. Lily's breath hitched as he pulled her to him and started to slow dance her around.

" Well," Lily said, trying to echo the way he'd spoken to her all that time ago, " it was 1941. The height of the London blitz. Height of the German bombing campaign. And there, I met _you. _Right away, you were handsome, charming, brilliant, and I knew I was in serious danger of falling for you. "

Jack spun her around and threw her a wink, " Tell me more," he said, his voice low.

Lily bit her lips as he pressed closer to her and then she continued, " As you slow danced me around ontop of your ship, I couldn't concentrate, because this handsome stranger was distracting me. I was determined that I wasn't going to fall for you, and your charms wouldn't work, but really, I knew there was no chance. There were times I almost forgot to breathe. You were trying to talk business about that Chula ship, but then you were flirting. You pulled me a little closer, and my head went spinning. Then you said - "

Jack was nodding as he remembered it, and he took over, drawing her in as they continued to move, " I said "Now that you're close enough, I can sort of feel both hearts beating. " "

" And can you? " Lily asked, raising her eyebrows as she looked at him.

" Yeah. "

Jack spun her under his arm, and said, " When we met, I was pretty amazed by you. There was this beautiful girl who knew what all sorts was, had psychic paper, had two hearts, and had more confidence than anyone I'd met in a while. I knew, right there, that I wanted you. I was a flirt, and I wanted to make you mine. It wasn't until I got to know you better, that I realised I wanted to make you mine forever. "

They continued to dance, before Jack tilted his head back and looked at Lily with a grin, " How about we take this downstairs? "

Lily pouted, " I was enjoying a bit of dancing. "

" Believe me," Jack said, bringing his lips closer to her face, " there'll be plenty of dancing. "

" Yes, Captain," Lily smirked, as he took her hand and led her towards the manhole cover.

TWTWTW

**Author's Note: Next up will be Reset**


	10. Reset

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Here we are - Reset. I've also tried to develop Lily's relationships with her friends - especially Owen and Tosh. **

Chapter Ten

Lily had now been at Torchwood four months and she felt completely at home - she'd kept in touch with her father and she'd seen him again since the Agatha Christie incident - though no danger came to them, and it was a relatively uneventful trip - but now couldn't imagine not living here with Jack.

On this particular day, Lily was stood at the top of the stairs down to the medical bay, looking down at the dead body lying on the slab, Owen stood nearby it. Over the last couple of weeks there had been an increase in unusual deaths, each with the same symptoms, corresponding with a suspicious crash in the NHS files.

Owen and Tosh had been out on a weevil hunt when they'd found the latest body, and brought it back for Owen to inspect. They had yet to rule out it being a weevil death to fit it with their pattern.

The rest of the team were standing nearby - bar Ianto, who was in the tourist office.

Lily allowed her eyes to wander from Owen and his work to Jack, who was standing at her side as they looked down at what Owen was doing. She looked at Jack, her eyes flickering up and down his body.

She felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips - he was looking particularly irresistable today, she thought. Although, she realised, she thought that _every _day. That man was just too good looking to be fair.

Today, he was wearing those black pants that were tight and snug, with a short sleeved blue shirt that showed off his tanned, muscular arms, as well as a black waistcoat which Lily loved on him - there was something about Jack in a waistcoat - it made a change from the usual braces, and made him irresistable. She was certain he wore the tighter clothes just to tease her.

When she brought her gaze to his face, she saw that he was trying to fight off a sly smirk. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at his lips, and the smirk grew.

" What? " she asked curiously, drawing everyone else's attention to them.

Jack folded his arms, making his muscles bulge and turned to look at her. " You," he said, " I mean, I know I look pretty hot, but you don't need to stare. "

Lily blushed furiously, swatting at his arm, " I wasn't staring," she protested, shaking her head, " I was ... observing. "

" Please," Jack scoffed, reaching out to poke Lily's side, making her squirm away from him, " you were _so _staring. If you'd been doing it any more, there would have been drool on the floor, along with your jaw. "

" Shut up," Lily mumbled, embarrassed at being shown up in front of the rest of the team. Jack laughed at her and leaned over to poke her in the ribs again, hitting a particularly ticklish spot and making her giggle and squirm away from him. She cried out his name in protest, taking a step away, but Jack only moved closer to her.

Lily shook her head and managed to catch hold of one of his hands, trying to keep him away from her.

" Guys! "

The lovers stopped what they were doing to look around, in the direction that Owen's angry voice had some from. Lily pouted at him, but he was completely immune to it. He shook his head and gestured towards the body, " Can't we focus on the matter at hand? "

Lily looked down, and mumbled in embarrassment, " Right. Sorry. "

" Hey, who's in charge around here? " Jack demanded, looking at the team's medic.

" I sometimes wonder," Owen replied dryly, " I think we need to nominate a second in command for when you two are messing around too much to get any work done. "

" I thought _I _was second in command," Lily said, looking at Jack, and then at everyone else, " I know more than the ret of you put together. 'Cept maybe Jack. I know a little more than Jack - not tons. "

" Fine," Owen shrugged, " we need a third in command. "

" Enough," Jack said, as Tosh handed him an evidence bag with a few items in, and the authority crept back into his voice. He reached in and pulled out a driver's license, scanning it, " documents found in possession of the deceased, identify him as Robert Merediths. "

" No obvious signs of violence," Owen said, looking down at the body.

" So, it wasn't a weevil? " Lily asked, eager to fit this death in with the others, to build up their case and find out more.

" Give me a chance, spacegirl, I've only just started," Owen said, rolling his eyes.

Lily shrugged, and then over the speakers that linked the tourist office to the main hub, came Ianto's voice. " Jack, your VIP visitor is here. "

Lily grinned, excited, and looked at Jack, who shared her grin. They looked at each other for a moment, before Lily turned on her heel and ran for the cog door. Jack hurried along after her, leaving the rest of the team confused as to what was going on, making them follow along in curiosity.

Lily stopped by the cog door and grinned as the alarm blared. She rested her head against Jack's shoulder as they stood and waited for their friend to make her entrance, and she nestled against him, happily.

" Suddenly," Jack said, Lily feeling his breath as he spoke, " in an underground mortuary, on a wet night in Cardiff, I hear the song of a nightingale. "

The others gathered around in time to see the door turn open, to reveal a dark skinned woman with sleek dark hair, wearing a smart black skirt suit. The woman looked around the hub in awe, and Ianto closed the door behind them both.

Then her eyes settled on Jack and Lily with a broad grin.

" Miss Martha Jones," Jack said, winking at her.

Martha beamed, " Look at you two! " she said, smiling at her two friends, glad to see them so happy together, " last time I saw you, you were walking off hand in hand. Glad to see it ended so well. "

Lily grinned, moving away from Jack and closer to Martha, " 'Course it did. We're always alright, us. Time travel must make you immune to everything else, right? "

She stopped in front of her friend and the two women embraced warmly, Martha giggling as they did so, and the pair of them telling each other how good it was to meet up again - Lily had spoken to Martha often, and as soon as the chance for Martha to visit arose, Jack and Lily both took it right away.

When they broke apart, Lily barely had time to get out of the way before Jack turned his attention to Martha and hugged her tightly too, in a grip that almost took her off her feet.

" It's so good to see you, Jack," Martha told him.

Jack laughed and broke away from her, hooking an arm around Lily's waist in a casual gesture that he was so used to carrying out, loving having his girlfriend close to him. He turned to the rest of the team, " Toshiko, Owen, Gwen, Ianto ... meet Martha. "

" Just a casual visit or ... ? " Owen asked, as Martha picked up a kit bag.

" I'm here to complete your postmortem," Martha told Owen, whose eyes narrowed as he clearly didn't like the idea. He looked both annoyed and confused, and Lily felt a little sorry for him, though she found it funny.

" Dr Jones is from UNIT," Jack informed Owen, as Martha led the way to the medical bay. The others all went that way too, Owen still looking confused while Lily shook her head at him in amusement, though her attention was distracted by Jack giving her a little squeeze as they walked, his arm still around her waist.

" Un, sorry, I get a bit confused," Gwen said, " which one's UNIT? "

Lily rolled her eyes - Gwen should really know these things by now.

Martha and Owen went down the stairs into the bay, while the others stood at the top to watch. Jack looked over at Gwen as he announced, " Intelligence, military, cute red caps. The acceptable face of intelligence-gathering on aliens. We're more ad-hoc. " To Martha, he added, " but better looking. "

" _Much _better looking," Lily said, casting a glance at Jack as they broke apart and she leant against the railings and watched what was going on below. She watched as Martha opened her kit before putting on gloves and a lab coat. Lily smiled and added, " So what's the diagnosis, Dr Jones? Surely you must have learnt enough with the big-shots at UNIT? "

Martha threw her a smile, " As opposed to the little recluses down here at Torchwood? " she asked.

Lily shrugged, " I don't know, I quite like being a recluse. Kinda cosy. " She folded her arms, " Much more fun than being in a crowded office. Hey, remember hermits united? I met a coupe of hermits once ... seperately, of course, otherwise they wouldn't have been hermits ... in fact - "

" Lily," Jack said, poking her side.

She stopped short and shook her head, " Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? "

Martha smiled, " Don't stop on my account," she said, " I sort of miss the Doctor rambling on in the background, while i nod and pretend I know what on Earth he's talking about. Anyway, I identified a pattern from UNIT's data on sudden deaths. Toxic shock. Nothing to link the victims. Different ages, sexes, ethnic origins, occupations. But there was a significant concentration in South Wales. "

" Aw come on," Jack teased, as Martha examined the body's left toe with a magnifying glass, " you came all this way just to see me. "

" Still struggling to conquer your shyness? " Martha repled, with a grin.

They shared a laugh, before Owen asked, " So, what about this pattern, Dr Jones? "

" They were being written off as suicides or accidents," supplied Martha, leaning over to check the body's right eyes and showing Owen something, " Look. Puncture mark. Hypodermic needle. You'll find his blood stream was pumped full of ammonium hydroxide. "

Lily rolled her eyes as she looked at Owen, " You haven't even check bloodstream? " she asked him, " I _told _you you should have let me help you out. " When Owen rolled his eyes, she grinned - Lily liked the medical side of things, and she felt that she knew just as much as any human doctor did - she felt like she was a doctor in all but name.

" Bloodstream," Owen nodded, " yeah, I was going to do that next. "

"Have you checked his medical records? " Martha asked, raising her eyebrows.

" Uh, no," Owen replied, looking embarrassed, " I was just about to do that. "

" I'll get the records up," Tosh offered, heading back towards her computer, sitting behind her workstation. Lily crossed the room and came to stand behind her friend, waiting as she got the results up.

Owen, Jack and Martha also came over to them, standing nearby as they waited.

Tosh entered the information, and they all stood and waited. As they did so, Tosh muttered, " I know there's been a major crash on the NHS system. Wiped a shedload of files. "

" Including all the victims I flagged up from UNIT's data," Martha said, making Lily frown at the thought of it. When the screen flashed with an "irretrievable" message, Lily shook her head.

" Too much of a co-incidence, right? " she said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear, " this has got to be deliberate. " She leaned forwards to look and pointed out something on the screen, " a crash wouldn't delete things so neatly. Someone's hiding something. "

" I'll look into it," Tosh said, with a nod.

As they stood there, Jack turned to Martha and nodded towards his office door, " Come on," he said, " let's catch up. " He took a few steps in that direction, and looked over his shoulder at Lily and Martha, " you coming? "

Lily looked at Martha, and they shared a smile before following along after Jack. Jack went into the office and sat down in the chair behind his desk, while Martha took the chair at the other side. Lily pouted when she saw no seat for her - she liked the edge of the desk, but if she sat there, she'd block Martha and Jack from each others view.

Jack laughed at her and pushed his chair away from the desk, patting his knee. Lily took the hint and came to perch herself on his knee, where she put an arm around his shoulders and he pulled her closer to him.

Martha was laughing when the pair of them looked at her.

" What? " Lily asked.

" You two," Martha said, looking at the pair of them and shaking her head in exasperation, " you're so ... cute together. I can completely see why you got together in the first place. "

Lily smiled, " Never mind us, how about you and Dr Milligan. Are we always going to be surrounded by Doctors? "

Martha shrugged, with a little smile, " Things are going really well. He's ... well, you met him during the Year. Not that he remembers any of that, but I've got to know him again and it's going well. " There was a pause, before Martha smiled at Lily gently, " speaking of the year that never was, how are you doing? You've sounded fine on the phone, but it's so much better to see you. "

Lily smiled, " I'm alright," she said, before glancing at Jack and back again at Martha, " this one's been such a help. I'd be lost without him. " When she felt Jack's hand wander from her lower back to her behind, she slapped it, and put it back on her back.

Jack sighed and leaned back in his chair, Lily flopping against him as he did so.

" How the family? " Jack asked Martha when the three of them were settled comfortably.

" Getting better," Martha replied, " they send their love. "

" Give them mine," Jack nodded.

" And mine," Lily chipped in.

Jack's face was suddenly lit up with a grin as he thought of something, " So," he said, looking between the two women in his office, " end of the world survivors club. "

" Seems like forever ago," Lily said, with a little shrug.

" Yeah," nodded Martha, thrilled to be here with the two of them, and expressing it, " I mean it - it's just so good to see you, Lily, after all the things we did. I'm so glad you're happy here. You completely deserve to settle down and be happy. And you Jack, good to see you too. "

" See," Jack said, as Lily rolled her eyes at him, " you did come all this way for me. It's the jawline. Once seen, always yearned for. "

They all laughed, and Lily looked at Jack, her eyes wandering to his jaw. He noticed her looking, and smirked at her, but she stuck her tounge out at him and he laughed again, the smirk fading away.

" So," Martha said after a moment, as she looked at Lily, " have you seen your dad recently? How is he? "

Lily shrugged, " Same as ever," she said, " he's travelling with someone else now. Lovely woman, bit mental. Definitley not interested in him though. I've seen him a few times - he's going around saving the world as always. "

Martha regarded her carefully, " You must miss him. "

Lily pulled a face, " Yeah, course, but I still see him, and I've got my life here. It was the right time for me to move on - we're happy, aren't we, kitten? "

Jack nodded and leaned in to kiss her forehead before looking at Martha carefully, " Do _you_ miss him? "

" No," Martha said, though neither believed her, " I made my choice. " When both looked at her doubtfully, she continued, " Maybe sometimes. Tiny bit. Tiny, tiny. Then I come to my senses again. Anyway, got plenty to occupy myself now. "

" Oh yeah, Miss Medical Officer," Jack nodded.

" Oh yeah," Martha nodded, leaning back in her chair.

" So, do I have to call you ma'am? " Jack asked, a teasing tone creeping into his voice.

" No, just follow my orders to the letter," Martha said, making Lily laugh a little.

Jack suddenly because serious as he looked at her, " You should have called me, if you were looking for a job. We'd have liked to have you around," he said, to which Lily nodded.

" I wasn't," Martha said, " I told Lily this, didn't she tell you? "

Lily shrugged, with a sheepish little smile, " I meant to - in fact, I went into the office to tell him when I'd finished talking to you, but he ... distracted me. " Lily stood up, getting off Jack's knee as she decided it wan't comfortable enough - it was plenty comfortable when Jack wasn't leaning all the way back in his seat, and when she could cosy right up against him, but they couldn't do that in front of Martha, so she got up and stood at the side of the desk, folding her arms.

Martha laughed a little and then continued, " This woman from UNIT rang out of the blue, said I was just what they needed, and that I'd come recommended by an immpecable source. "

Jack raised his eyebrows, pointing in the air, " You mean ... ? "

" Who else? " asked Martha with a grin.

Lily nodded, " I'd bet you anything he did that - I'll have to mention if next time I see him. I suppose he thought he owed you one. Whole world does really. "

There was a pause, before Jack's face changed into a playful grin and he glanced at Lily, before looking at Martha, " So, do you think you could get me one of those cute red caps. I think it might suit Lily. "

Lily was suprised and shook her head at him, blushing a little.

Martha simply stood up, " You want uniforms, you get your own. Now, do I get a guided tour of this place? "

Jack stood up to salute Martha in the full military style, " Yes ma'am," he said, standing to attention, " whatever you say, ma'am! "

" Leave it! " Martha said sternly, making all three of them laugh, as Jack threw Lily a wink and the three of them headed out of the office.

They walked around the hub, giving Martha a guided tour of the entire hub, Lily enjoying having her friend around and being able to be around one of her friends. She and Jack led the way, their banter cutting across as they tried to tell Martha what was going on, and somehow Gwen had managed to tag along, but Lily didn't even care - she was in a good mood, and not even the precense of the collegue she didn't like could put a downer on things.

They left the hot house, Martha and Gwen lingering behind them, and Jack and Lily waited on the catwalk for them.

" I bet you love this, don't you? " Lily teased, " three girls following you around. "

" You bet," Jack said, " Luckily for you, I don't want anyone but you. "

Lily sighed, " You're so vain, Jack. Don't you think _I _could have anyone too? It's lucky for you that _I _don't want anyone - as good looking as both Owen and Ianto are. "

" Hey," Jack said, his voice a jealous, warning tone.

Lily giggled and linked her arms through his, making his little jelaousy slide away. The pair of them turned to see Martha and Gwen giggling as they looked over at Jack, and Jack called over, " Oi! You talking about me? "

" Of course not," Gwen said with a gap toothed smile as she and Martha approached the other two.

Jack rolled his eyes again, and turned away, walking down the catwalk. Lily looked at Martha and Gwen curiously, but Martha only shook her head through her smile. Lily shrugged and followed Jack down the catwalk, looking out across the hub as she did so.

They walked down the stairs, and across the main area with the workstations. Tosh was sitting behind her computers, looking at a small object on a table, as was Owen. Gwen sat down behind her desk, and Jack stopped, folding his arms as he looked at the rest of the team. Lily stopped and watched as Martha picked up the little alien artefact.

" You've got some well weird kit," she said, " what's this? "

" Careful," Jack warned her, " it's alien. "

Lily tutted, " Now now, Jack. You can't condemn things just because they're alien. "

Jack shrugged, and Owen took the device from Martha, fiddling with a little knob on the side, making it hum as it powered up. " There's been a lot of argument about this," he said, " but for my money, it's got to be a medical instrument. "

" Really? " Martha asked.

Lily scoffed, " He only knows that because I told him. It's a singularity scalpel. I recognise it from Dad having one in his workshop, though I don't know exactly how to use it - I never messed with the things in there. But basically, it concentrates energy on a little fixed point without damaging anything else. Brilliant. "

Owen continued to mess with it, and Gwen shook her head, " Remember the last time you did that, Owen? "

" Yeah, yeah," Owen interrupted, shaking his head, before looking at Lily and asking sarcastically, " I know you like all your technical talk, but would you mind if I handled this? " When Lily shrugged, he continued, " now, all we're going to do is vaporise this paper without even scorching the cup. "

He put down a paper cup on the table and put a small scrunched up ball of paper inside it.

" This is going to end in tears," muttered Jack to Martha in a warning tone.

Everyone took a step backwards.

Owen aimed the singularity scalpel at the paper cup and turned a knob to adjust it. On the computer screen in front of Tosh, an image of the cup appeared, and Owen focused on the paper ball, making an image of that appear instead.

Everyone watched in anticipation, waiting. Lily heard footsteps, and when she turned to see Ianto, she knew something was going to happen. Owen fired just as Ianto rounded the corner, and he got it wrong. It was amusing, but dangerous, to watch as the pulse completely missed the paper cup and hit the machinery in the far corner, barely missing Ianto. Ianto yelled, not expecting it, and threw up what he'd been carrying on the tray.

Lily covered her mouth with her hand in attempt to stifle her laughter, as Ianto looked behind him and then turned to give Owen a cold, murderous glare.

" Haven't quite gotten the calibration right yet," Owen muttered, making Lily laugh out loud, earning herself a glare from Owen, though she just shrugged at him - she loved teasing him and annoying him.

She recovered herself in time to listen as Ianto adressed Jack, " There's been another attack. Assault with a hypodermic. Only this time, the victim survived. Woman aged 27. She's in the hospital. Medical records wiped just like the others. "

" Then we should get going," Jack said, " we need to talk to her. Okay, me, Martha and ... "

" Can I come? " Gwen asked.

Jack nodded, " The three of us, and ... Lily? "

Lily shrugged, " I'll stay here," she said, " doesn't really need four of us, does it? Just let us know what's happening, yeah? I'll stay here with Tosh, Owen and Ianto. "

Jack nodded and closed the space between then and laid his hand on her cheek, pressing his lips to hers in a soft, barely there kiss, that left them both smiling when they broke apart. " See you in a bit," he said.

Lily smiled at him and then the four of them were left behind in the hub. Lily shrugged and sat down on her desk, looking over at the others. Tosh sat behind her computers and Ianto leaned in the doorway to talk to them.

" So," Tosh said, looking at Lily curiously, " did you meet Martha, or did you meet her through Jack? "

Lily smiled as the others all turned to look at her, wanting to know more about who martha was. Lily leaned back against her arms and said, " Me and Dad have been trvalling around for ages, and we often pick up companions who want to travel with us for a bit. We met Martha on that day in London, when the Royal Hope disappeared, remember? Yeah well, it went to the Moon, and long tory short, Dad got it back and then Martha travelled with us. We'd been travelling for a while, I got to know her, and that was that. Then I finally got reunited with Jack. We spent the year ... somewhere else ... and came back here. I wanted to stay in touch with Martha, so here we are. "

There was a pause, before Owen said, " There's something that confuses me, Lily. You met up with Jack, on the day Jack left us lot. He was gone for three months, but to you lot, it was a year? "

" Yeah," Lily said.

Owen nodded, " And neither you or Jack ever said what happened in that year. He just ... acted like he hadn't heard, the time I asked him. I thought I might get more of an answer out of you. "

Lily shook her head. She frowned as she thought of the abuse she'd suffered over the year at the hands of the Master, and what he'd done to her, and wanted to do. She didn't want to have to relive it. She swallowed hard, and Owen could see he'd made a mistake in asking. He, Ianto and Tosh looked at each other, a little uneasy.

Lily took a moment before looking up at Owen, meeting his eyes. She shook her head, "You don't want to know," she told him, " things happened that you don't even want to think about, and I certainly don't want to have to tell you. "

" I - I'm sorry," Owen said, quietly, when he saw the way she suddenly seemed affected.

She shook her head, " It - no. It doesn't matter. " She ran a hand through her hair and tried to smile, " Now," she said, " I think there was some chocolate in the fridge. How about we share it? "

With that, she went to get some, and when she was gone, the others all comtemplated what was wrong, and all agreed it was best not to mention it, though they were more curious than ever. When Lily returned, she sat down on her desk, and they shared out a bar of delicious chocolate, while chatting away casually.

" So, Martha's not here to replace me? " Owen asked, making the others laugh at his insecurity.

Lily rolled her eyes in amusement, " For the last time, Owen - no. Jack and I wanted her to come and visit, but UNIT wouldn't give her time off without good reason, so we had to wait until there was a case she could get involved with. You know you're our number one doctor, Owen. " Lily shrugged and pulled a face, " well ... you're maybe my second favourite Doctor. "

" Cheers," Owen muttered.

Lily laughed at him, " _You_ spend 200 years travelling around in time and space and looking after me, and then we'll see who my favourite doctor is. "

Owen scoffed, and then Lily started to talk to Tosh and Ianto about organising a team thing. Ianto had decided that the team should all go out and socialise for once, rather than all going off their seperate ways.

They spent a while just chatting, before the rest of the team came back. Martha announced that she'd got a blood sample, so she and Owen went to investigate, while the others sat around the workstations, talking about the case.

Lily was perched on her desk, Jack stood in front of her with his arms folded as the pair of them spoke. Lily glanced over at the medical bay, her mind working away, and she looked at Jack, eyes lighting up, " Ammonium hydroxide," she said, " odd way to kill someone. Bit like injecting them with bleach, isn't it? There are much more effective and more obvious ways to kill, which means the main objective might not be to kill. Bleach would ... "

" Jack! "

Lily stopped short, looking up to see Owen and Martha approaching them. It was Owen who'd caught their attention and he confirmed what Lily had been thinking, " They're destroying something in the blood stream. That's why they're using the ammonium hydroxide. "

Lily nodded and looked back at Jack, " Destroying the evidence. "

There was a pause, as everyone else thought about this idea, and then there were collective murmers of agreement and nods amongst them all. Jack suddenly clapped his hands together as he tried to piece everything together.

" Right," he said, " locally we've got a murder victim and a survivor. Both attacked with hypodermics, both with their medical records wiped. "

" And loads more across the UK," Lily nodded, " with the point being to wipe out some evidence of a medical condition. "

" Gwen, Ianto, pursue the criminal investigation," Jack ordered.

Gwen nodded.

" Martha, Owen, follow up the medical side," Jack continued, before looking at Tosh, " any luck retrieving the medical records? "

" Not yet," Tosh sighed, " I'll have to dig right down in the system memories, to see if I can find the remnants of deleted files. Completely illegal of course. "

" Do whatever you have to," said Jack, making Lily smirk a little, " we're not dealing with a freak with some needle fetish. This is a conspiracy. I'll oversee the whole thing. Baby, what about you? "

A smile tugged at Lily's lips - she loved the way that Jack usually left her to make her own choices about what she did, " Medical," she said, " I'm with the doctors every time. "

Jack sighed at this, and it made Lily laugh. She shrugged at him before following Owen down to the medical bay. Between them, they decided they needed to analyse the test results from the woman who'd survived the attack earlier - Marie.

As they were working on this, Ianto and Gwen were called out as there'd been another attack. When she heard this, Lily sighed, the pressure raising as they needed to act quick before more lives were lost - Lily simply couldn't figure out who'd want to do this.

Lily touched her earpiece when she heard it beep.

" Lily? " came the voice from the other end.

" Ianto," Lily replied, " talk to me. "

" Barry Leonard, student. Medical records already wiped, puncture mark on the eye just like the other attacks. They're not random ... they're like assassinations, but we don't know what the pattern is. "

" Are you on your way back? " Lily asked him.

" Yeah. "

" Right," she replied, " thanks for letting us know, Ianto. We're looking through Marie's test results now, so that should give us more ideas. We'll find something soon. "

She heard Ianto sigh and then they ended their connection.

Owen tapped her arm and indicated towards the computer where the final results were through. Lily moved closer to look at them all - they needed this to give them some sign of where they could go next.

Lily frowned as she looked at the screen and looked back to Owen. Owen raised his eyebrows and Lily looked at it again, refusing to believe it. There were footsteps, and Martha appeared down the stairs.

" It's Marie," she said," she's collapsed, so we need to get moving. "

Lily nodded, but pointed at the screen, " Look at that. From her blood. Shouldn't be there - definitley not in human blood. It could be some sort of infection I suppose, but ... "

" It's definitley down to this toxic shock," Owen finished, " at least, it had better be, otherwise I don't have a clue. "

Martha nodded, " No infections, no deficencies in organ function, perfect cholesterol, ideal blood pressure. "

" Exactly," nodded Lily, folding arms as she turned around to look at the other two, " when was the last time you saw someone so perfect? Everyone's got something wrong with them, but not this one. So normal, she's abnormal, wouldn't you say? "

" We need to get going," said Martha, looking around.

Lily was up the stairs before Martha had finished talking, and she shouted across the hub, " That's it, I'm leaving! "

Jack appeared within a couple of seconds, " _What? "_

Lily flashed him her favourite grin and shrugged a little, " We need to get to the hospital, 'cause Marie's had a turn. I want to go with these two, so I'll keep you informed. "

The three of them left the hub and got outside as Gwen and Ianto were getting back. Ianto was thrown out of the drivers seat and got into the back as Owen took the wheel. They dropped Ianto and Gwen off at the dorm of one of Barry's friends, and then headed for the hosptial frantically.

The three of them entered Marie's room quickly, and Lily stepped back, curious to find out what was going on, and watching with anticipation as Martha tried to check Marie's eyes with her penlight.

" Marie? " Martha was demanding loudly, " Marie, can you hear me? "

" Right," Owen said, stepping forwards as Marie nodded, " there's something in your blood that we don't recognise, all right? It must be behind your current illness, so we need to know what's been happening to you. "

Marie simply shrugged, " You're the doctors. You tell me. "

Lily sighed and turned away, running her hand through her hair. They needed to go somewhere from here, but she wasn't sure exactly where, and what they could do. Just as she was running out of things to think about, her ear comm beeped, as did Owen's.

" Something you should know," came Ianto's voice, since Ianto always seemed to be the one that kept them updated, and kept everything running, " Barry is said to have recovered from diabetes. "

Lily frowned - that was impossible. Unless someone had been tampering with something. She exchanged a look with Owen, and Owen replied with a thank you before they switched the comms off. Lily and Owen exchanged another look as they considered the seriousness of it, and Owen turned to Marie.

" You're going to have to level with us," he told her, " this could be a matter of life or death - have you ever had a serious medical condition? "

Marie sighed and hesitated before answering, " I had HIV. "

Lily raised her eyebrows, " Had? But ... but you've no antibodies. That's ... that's not medically possible. "

" That's the Reset," Marie informed her, confusing Lily, as Reset was something she'd never heard of.

" A drug? " Owen asked, " I'm not familiar with it - any chemical name? "

Marie only laughed, but this turned into a cough, which turned into heavier coughs. Owen, Lily and Martha tried to get her to tell her where the Reset was from - Marie started to convulse, but they got an answer out of her.

She said, " From the Pharm. P-H-A-R-M. Medical research place, alright? "

As she revealed she was a clinical trial subject and she was paid a lot of money to undergo the trial, she slumped back against the bed, and the monitor alarm started to blare.

" Marie! " Lily gasped, looking from the convulsing woman to Owen, " do something! " she demanded, unable to do anything herself.

As she should have guessed, Owen was already onto it. He approached the woman with a syringe, and it took both Martha and Lily to hold Marie down as Owen injected her thigh. This had no effect, and he injected her again, though this time, she stopped convulsing immediately and the line on the monitor was completely flat.

Lily let go of Marie's hands in shock and looked down at her. She shook her head in horror, and heard Owen's cry of protest as they realised she was dead. Lily was completely shocked at what had happened, but had little time to process it, as a huge swarm of bugs came from Marie's mouth, leaving her completely perplexed.

The bugs moved towards Owen, Martha and Lily, and all three of them took a step backwards, trying to protect themselves. Martha screamed loudly and ducked out of the way, as Owen hit a panic button on the bed.

Lily was planning on protecting Martha and Owen, since it was always her priority to save as many lives as she possibly could, and she wanted to look after her friends. She felt something on her arm, and Owen was grabbing her and dragging her out of the way. He pulled her closer to he and Martha and they slammed against the wall, the three of them huddling in the corner, and Owen trying to put his arms out to cover both Martha and Lily, in a move Lily found quite touching, if they weren't in such a dangerous situation.

The bugs started to swarm around them, and the three of them waved their hands around, trying to bat them away as they covered their mouths and noses with surgical masks. They kept their heads down and suddenly, the general buzzing stopped, and everything went quiet.

Lily looked up to see that the bugs had all fallen to the ground.

She tok a moment before nodding at her friends and crawling over to examine some of the bugs. She pulled out the laser spanner in her pocket and tried to examine them, though they were very small and it wasn't easy.

" Some sort of alien larva," she announced, " parasites. Just like any other parasites, feeding off the human bodies, using them as hosts. "

" And they were going to use us," Martha finished.

Lily nodded, getting to her feet and stowing away her spanner, after storing an image.

Her ear piece beeped, and she put a hand to it, " Yeah? "

" Hey baby," came the voice on the other end, making Lily smile in relief when she heard him.

She ran a hand through her hair and exhaled in relief, " It's so good to hear from you," she sighed, " we're coming back right now, kitten. "

From the hub, Jack frowned, hearing the panic in her voice and not quite sure what was going on. " Are you alright? " he asked her, " has something happened? "

Lily sighed, " It's Marie," she mumbled, " she's ... she just died, Jack. Then we got attacked by a parasite, and I ... " she sighed again, " I'm coming home now. "

" Oh, baby," Jack said sadly, in a way that made Lily know he'd reach out and give her a warm cuddle if they were together, " I'm sorry we couldn't save her. And ... you're alright? "

She nodded, though he couldn't see her, " Don't be sorry - it's not your fault. And we're all fine - shocked, but ... fine. See you soon, kitten. "

" Love you. "

" Love you too. "

_TWTWTWTW_

Back at the hub, Jack grabbed Lily and gave her a huge hug, clinging to her and cuddling her warmly the moment he saw her. He fussed over her in the way that annoyed her but she secretly loved, until she assured him she was fine, and he ended his panic by hugging her to his chest again.

While they were talking, Martha and Owen tried to analyse the readings and image to find out more, until they were ready to give their findings to the rest of the team.

When Martha and Owen were ready to present their findings, they went to the workstations.

" Where's those two? " Martha asked.

Owen rolled his eyes, and spoke in that sarky tone, " What, Baby and Kitten? Probably in his office. "

Martha was about to go get them, but before she did, Gwen called after her to stop her, " Wait," she said, and when Martha turned, she looked at the rest of the team and them back at Martha, " we were wondering ... could you tell us a bit about Jack and Lily? "

Martha paused before shrugging and settling down into a chair - the Torchwod team were curious to know where their boss had gone in those few months, and why Lily wouldn't talk about it, but they knew they weren't going to get an answer from the couple themselves.

" You know Jack and Lily really well," Tosh started.

Martha nodded.

" Were you with them whne they met up? " asked Gwen, curious, " and in the time they were - wherever they were. Because the thing is, Jack was somewhere else, and he won't tell us about it. Neither will Lily. She usually tells us all sorts, but not about this. "

Martha frowned, thinking back to what had happened, and wondering if she should tell them - would it be right? " It was a very difficult time for Lily," Martha said finally, " for everyone. She won't be over it enough to talk about it to everyone. "

" What happened? " Tosh asked quietly, trying to be sympathetic.

" I really shouldn't say," Martha said, shaking her head, " it's down to Lily. "

" Oh, come on," said Gwen, " we won't tell her you told us. "

" We're just curious," Ianto said, " and it might help us understand her better. Jack's extremeley protective, and there has to be something to make him like that. He once made a comment about shooting the last man who hurt Lily, and that he'd seen her hurt enough. "

Martha sighed - she knew these lot wouldn't give up, and she thought it really might help if everyone was sensitive to Lily's past, though on the other hand, she wasn't sure if Lily would like it if she went and told the team about the horror she'd gone through.

" Fine," Martha said after a few moments had passed, casting a quick glance towards the closed office door and then around at the others, " but what I tell you isn't nice, and you've got to be sensitive about it. "

Even Owen looked serious as he nodded.

" There was a man," Martha started, " the most evil man, and he took over the world for an entire year. No-one but a couple of us know about it - most of the world just forgot. But he was pure evil. "

" Who was he? " Gwen asked curiously, even if she'd not been close to Lily.

" You know what Lily is? " Martha asked, recieving nods, " she and the Doctor are the last of the time lords. But there was another one - his name was the Master. Clever, but ruthless and completely amoral. He had a spaceship and he held us captive - me, Lily, Jack, my family, and the Doctor - Lily's dad. I escaped, but the others weren't so lucky. "

" So this evil guy held her captive? " Ianto asked, trying to make sense of it, " that's what she won't tell us. "

Martha face clouded and they all suddnly knew it was much worse than that. " He locked Jack up," she continued, " and made the Doctor a crippled old man, while my family had to work as slaves. But Lily got the worst part of all. The Master had complete power and could do what he wanted, and Lily's a quite beautiful young woman. "

Owen's eyes darkened as he glowered, " You mean he ... forced himself on her? " he asked, feeling quite angry about it - he was beginning to see Lily as an annoying little sister, and he instantly hated any man who could do that to her.

The rest of the team didn't quite know what to say.

" It was worse than that," Martha said, " he locked her in a little bedroom with armed guards at the door. He threatened her, beat her, and then came his plan. He wanted pure time lord children to start a new race, and Lily's the only female time lord. I don't need to explain it properly - he was determined to get what he wanted, but Lily wasn't going to consent to it. "

There was a pause, during which the team all looked at each other in horror - none of them could have guessed at anything like that, and each one of them was horrified that Lily had been subjected to such torture.

" My god," Tosh breathed.

" That bastard," Owen hissed, feeling strangely protective, " I hope he got what was coming to him. "

" He did," nodded Martha with a sigh, " his wife - " there was a collective gasp at the word "wife" and the fact he'd been married, " shot him in the end, and Jack shot him another twice after that, after trying to beat him to death. "

" Poor Lily," Ianto muttered, " no wonder Jack always wants to keep such a close eye on her. "

Martha nodded, " I don't know if Lily will ever tell you herself, but now you know. It happened to her several times a week for about three months, before she managed to escape and find me. Good job she _did _escape, or he might have gotten her pregnant, and I don't think she'd ever have recovered. " She sighed, " Jack had it hard too. Jack was chained to a wall, and he had to watch, powerless to help. They're both so lucky to still be together. It just proves they can get through anything. "

Another pause fell between them, as the team tried to process what was going on.

They were still sitting in silence when Jack's office door opened, and the couple in question came walking towards them casually, completely unaware of what their collegues had been talking about.

" You lot are quiet," Lily said with a grin, completely oblivious, " what's going on? "

" Nothing much," Owen answered, standing up as everyone tried to look as though they had been working, and nothing was going on. Owen got to work sharing he and Martha's findings, as the team tried not to think about what Lily had been through, though it was hard to push the thoughts away.

" So," Owen said, as Lily payed attention to the screen, " this is a molecular model of the drug we found in Marie's blood. She called it Reset. "

" So what does it do? " asked Ianto.

Lily had a vague idea using her common sense, and from the name, but she left it to Owen to answer. " Well, think about when you run, you know, a virus scan through your computer. The software works its way through the files and deletes whatever trojan or virus it finds. That's what this stuff does to your body. But not just viruses. It's any harmful bacteria, toxins, even mutant cells. Like the body being restored to its factory settings. "

" Ultimate magic bullet," Martha finished with a nod, " gets rid of anything and everything. "

Gwen frowned, " That would be the greatest medical discovery in history, wouldn't it? " she asked, " so what went wrong. "

Martha pulled a face, " Well ... " she said, pressing a button on the screen and revealing an image of the insect. " The parasite needs a healthy body until it's incubated. So the parasite egg incorporates this magical bullet, which puts everything in the system back to its factory settings. "

" And that's Reset," muttered Lily, before raising her voice, " who runs the Pharm? "

It was Ianto who answered, directing his answer at mainly Jack and Lily, though he looked around at every a little as he spoke, " The public image is innocent enough. Private-public partnership between the government and a team of pharmaceutical companies. Researching and developing cutting edge biotechnology. "

Tosh took over, " Their IT systems are way more cutting edge than they need to be. Plus, they're got seemingly unrestricted security clearance. "

Lily frowned, " Which means they'd have the power to delete medical records if they wanted to," she said, shaking her head.

" Exactly," Tosh nodded, as Lily tried to think about what could be going on.

" Who runs this? " Jack demanded.

Ianto looked at the computer screen nearest him, pressing a few buttons, " Institute director is Dr. Aaron Copley. " He changed the monitor to show a picture of Copley, and a file of information about him.

" Yeah, I know his work," Owen said, though no-one else seemed to know, " he's one of the most respected research scientists in his field. "

" Harvard graduate," Ianto said, though lily wasn't impressed, " did research at Cambridge. Last job, Havard professor of Molecular Pharmacology. Came to the UK to set up the Pharm. "

Jack leaned forwards to look at the picture and smirked a little, " Hmmm, he's kinda handsome too. D'you think he'll like visitors? "

Lily glanced at Jack and then also leaned forwards to the screen - she didn't think he was good looking, but there was no harm in teasing Jack. She nodded as the looked at the picture, " Yeah, quite handsome indeed. " She looked up at Jack with a grin, " better looking than some. "

" Oi! " her boyfriend protested, turning to look at her.

Lily shrugged, " Well you started it ... though I'm suprised you can find that guy handsome, when you're with _me. _I'd like to think I'm slightly different to him. "

" Very different, I'm sure," Jack said with a grin, looking Lily up and down before looking around at the rest of the team, " who's coming to visit the good old doctor with me, then? "

It was Owen and Jack who went to visit him, while the other stayed behind in the hub. Martha, Owen, Gwen and Ianto were sitting around, while Tosh and Lily sat at Tosh's computers.

" So," Tosh said, glancing over at Martha and then back at Lily, " you and Jack know Martha from your time travelling time, but how well do you know her? She must be a really good friend of yours to invite her down here. "

Lily nodded as she thought about it, " Yeah, she is. Loads of stuff happened, really. I was ... " she sighed and shook her head before starting again, " I had a really rough time for a few months, and when I got away from it, it was just me and Martha. She looked after me, made me feel a little better about myself. "

Tosh raised her eyebrows in interest, though she tried to be sympathetic, " So this was ... this was while you and Jack were ... wherever you were? After Jack left us? " Now she knew the full story, she felt so sorry for Lily, and she wasn't sure whether to mention it to her or not. She decided to wait until Lily opened up to them.

Lily nodded.

Tosh looked at her still, and then asked quietly," Are you ever going to tell us what happened to you? You're always telling us stories about things you've done, but this is different, isn't it? "

Lily sighed - it was painful to think about, and she was only comfortable to talk about it when she was with Jack, and in his arms, while he comforted her. She smiled at her friend, " Tosh," she said, " I can tell you all sorts, I know that, but I can't tell you this. It's too hard to talk about. Maybe I'll tell you one day, but not ... not now. "

Tosh nodde - she knew what had happened now, but she didn't think Lily would appreciate knowing that Martha had told them all the story behind her back. She'd rather Lily trusted her enough to open up and tell her what happened, but she didn't want to push Lily.

They chatted idly for a few minutes, before Tosh decided to make a start on hacking into the Pharm's computers, Lily watching with interest - she loved all the different areas of Torchwood - running around after the aliens, the technological side, the medicals parts and the whole investigations.

Owen and Jack weren't gone for too long, and when they returned, Lily looked at the door hopefully, though she didn't expect that they'd have found out much.

" Any luck? " she asked, as Jack shrugged out of his trenchcoat.

Owen shook his head, " No. Copley was a bit touchy, but he wasn't giving anything away. I'll tell you what though, that place has the highest concentration of rift activity around. "

Lily sighed and folded her arms over her chest, " We need a way in," she said, glancing as Jack as he, she and Tosh stood around the computers, everyone else nearby.

Tosh frowned at the computer, " I can't get in," she said, as access was denied again, " and if I keep going on with this force, they'll know they're under attack. "

" But we need in," Lily repeated, " alien life forms are preying on the humans bloodstream. " She looked at Jack," how about we get me in there? " she asked, " I could go undercover. Try and get a job there or something? "

Jack didn't look as though he liked the idea, but Ianto intervened before he had chance to talk, " I've got a better idea," he said, pointing at his computer, " the Pharm are looking for over 800 subjects. Looks like they're in the market for volunteers. "

" Makes sense given their wastage rate," Jack said quietly.

Lily frowned, " Well, I can't do that," she said, " not as a volunteer. Once they ran a few tests, they'd easy know I wasn't human. "

Jack folded his arms as he looked at her sternly, " I wasn't going to let you go in there at all," he told her, " there's no way I'd put you in danger. I don't care what you're capable of - I have to look after you. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " I've done all sorts though! "

Jack shook his head, and the rest of the team looked on, now understanding why he was so relucant to let her do anything dangerous, even if she was capable of it, " Tough. I don't want you in danger, and you can't do it anyway, so it doesn't matter, does it? "

" But someone needs to go undercover," Lily pointed out, shaking her head.

" No," Jack said firmly," we don't know enough about how the place works. Too many things could go wrong. I'm not putting anyone in danger. "

" What if you were to put a medic in there? " Martha tried, moving forwards with a small smile, " if you send in someone who knew what to look for, the dangers would be minimal. "

" Yeah, but I can't do it," Owen shrugged in an offhand manner, " they know me now, don't they? "

" I know it's hard to believe, but I wasn't thinking of you," Martha said, looking towards Lily and Jack, waiting for an answer. Lily thought it was a fairly good idea - someone needed to do it, and Martha really knew her stuff. If they monitored her, she'd be alright. Lily was sure Martha could do it, just fine.

" No way," Jack answered, immediatley taking the other point of view from Lily without even knowing it.

Lily rolled her eyes and gave Jack a reproachful look, waiting for him to realise that Martha could do this.

" Come on," said Martha lightly, " I've been in much worse situations than this, and you know it. "

Jack thought about it, and Lily could tell that he really didn't want to give in, but there was little choice, and nothing else they could do. " Fine," he said finally, nodding.

Martha grinned, and then Jack ordered Ianto to prepare Martha for what she'd be doing. While everyone was getting to work, Jack crossed the hub and strode towards his office. Lily wasted no time in following straight after him and closing the office door behind them.

Jack sighed when they were alone together and shook his head, " I hope she'll be alright," he said.

" She'll be fine," Lily assured him, " don't worry about it. " Jack was looking at her for a moment and then he shrugged, accepting what she said.

Lily paused before asking him, " How come you'd let Martha go undercover, but not me? I know I can't do this one, since they'd realise I'm not human, but you said you wouldn't let me in there anyway. " She frowned, a little annoyed that he wouldn't recognise her talents, " I'm more capable than anyone else around here and you know it. I've been through all sorts. "

" I know," Jack said, looking at her as he spoke, " and it's not that I don't _know_ how clever you are, and how brilliant you are, it's that I love you more than anything else in the universe. Everytime we go anywhere, I worry about what's going to happen to you, even though you're always going to be fine. I couldn't send you somewhere like that alone - I'd spend more time worrying about you than getting any work done. "

Lily sighed, " Overprotective fool," she muttered, " and d'you think you're the only one that worries? What if you stop being immortal, or we find out that there's a limit on your number of lives? "

Jack was still looking at her in all seriousness, " Point taken. But, baby I promised your dad I'd take care of you, and I damn well intend to do it. "

There was a pause where the pair of them lookd at each other until Lily relented and turned away from him, going back into the main hub, where Ianto and Martha had finished talking. Jack followed her, laying a hand on her shoulder as they all gathered around.

Ianto handed Martha a fake ID card, " First name Samantha," he told her, " I thought the Jones would be safe. "

" Right," Martha nodded, " how do I stay in touch? "

" Communication's very tricky," Tosh said, having already figured out what they were going to do, though Lily hadn't, " the whole place could be wired and we can't have you talking all the time, but we need to monitor you. So take these. "

She held out a set of contact lenses, and Lily understood what was going on. They explained to Martha that these lenses acted as a camera, and if they typed, she'd be able to see it.

They finished briefing Martha, and then decided it was time to let her go. She managed to get into the Pharm pretty quickly and was soon sitting in a room, with her blood being drawn, the rest of the team watching from the hub.

Interest perked up when they saw Professor Copley enter on the screen, and Lily edged closer for a better look. Thye watched as the pair were introduced by the nurse, and then Toshiko, on Jack's orders, typed "Get close to Copley."

" I see you're a postgraduate student," said Copley, nodding at Martha, under her fake name of Samantha.

" That's right," Martha said.

" Studying what? " Copley pressed.

" Creative writing," Martha replied at once, before shrugging a little bit, " I really need the cash. "

" Well," Copley shrugged, " I'm sure you understand, Samantha, we see a lot of applicants. "

As Copley started to head towards the door, the team sent her a message telling her how important it was not to let go of Copley, and Lily watched in confusion as Martha called after him, " Actually, there's something I should have told you - it'll show up in the test results anyway. "

" What's she doing? " asked Jack quietly.

Lily touched his arm lightly and pointed towards the screen, " Not letting go of Copley. "

" I did have a hepititas infection," Martha told Copley and the nurse, " I mean, I'm fine now, but it stays in the blood, doesn't it? Strictly speaking, it's incurable, isn't it? "

Lily felt a surge of pride for her friend and knew she'd learnt a lot since they'd first met, " It's her way in," she told the rest of the team.

They were all pleased when Copley showed an interest. " Well," he said, " that puts a different spin on things. We could use a subject with hepititas. Are you available to start right now? "

" Well, sure," Martha nodded, " I've brought my over night things. "

They watched in relief and anticipation as Martha signed an agreement, and they knew their plans had begun.

Martha was then led to a bedroom, and they watched on the screen as Martha took note of where the offices were, knowing they'd some in useful later, when there was time to investigate. But for now, there was very little they could do.

Ianto offered to make everyone a drink, and as he did so, Owen announced he was going off to find something to eat. Lily went with him, and they found a couple of cream buns in the fridge leftover from the day before, while Ianto rolled his eyes at them from the worktops, his hands at the coffee machine.

" Do you fancy it? " asked Lily, looking over her shoulder at Owen and holding up the only two buns remaining.

Owen grinned, " Yeah, go on then," he said, as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Lily was grinning too and she sat down opposite him and handed over an cream bun, lifting her own to her lips.

" Want a bit? " Lily asked Ianto.

Ianto smiled a little and shook his head, " No," he said, " you have it. "

Ianto continued around the kitchen making the coffee, feeling a little awkward around Lily now they knew her secret and she didn't know they knew.

Owen watched as Lily ate and wasn't quite sure what to say to her either, after Martha's ealier revelations. She noticed him watching her after a minute or so, and looked up, " What? " she asked, " don't tell me my face is covered in cream? "

He smiled a little but shook his head, " No. No, it's not that. It's just ... " he sighed before meeting her eyes again, " I wasn't going to mention it, but I just want you to know that I'm always here, if you want to talk. Or anything. "

Lily frowned, " What's brought this on? "

Ianto turned around to watch the conversation.

Owen shrugged, " Just something I was thinking about," he said, licking his index finger to get rid of the last of the cream before getting up to put the plate in the sink.

Lily also stood up, and watched Owen move around the kitchen. " Is something going on? " she asked, also glancing at Ianto who didn't meet her eye, " you seem a bit ... well, you're being nicer than normal. "

Owen sighed, deciding he was going to just have to tell her, " I was talking to Martha earlier," he said," and she mentioned something about what happened with ... with the Master. "

He could see her flinch in shock and he knew he shouldn't have brought it up.

" She ... she did? " asked Lily, trying to remain calm, " what did she tell you, exactly? "

Owen's lack of response told her that he knew everything. She nodded and her eyes wandered to Ianto, " Did she tell you, too? " When there was no reply, she knew the answer for that too, " She told you all, didn't she? "

" I just wanted to offer my support, if you ever wanted to talk," Owen told her, " or go out and get completely drunk and help me pull some fit girls. You know, whatever you want. "

The way Owen could make light of everything but still be sincere made her laugh a little, even though it hurt to think about the Master. She muttered a thanks though she felt awkward about the team knowing.

Ianto turned back to the drinks, " I made you something special," he said, pointing out her mug - a hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. Lily smiled at him gratefully before he left the room carrying the rest of the drinks.

" So," Lily said, when the pair of them were alone, " I guess I'm a charity case or something now then. "

" No," Owen said, reaching out to touch her upper arm lightly. When she showed no signs that she minded this, he moved her a little closer to him and slowly pulled her into a hug. She smiled at the way her friend was being so sensitive, and it was so unlike him. He hugged her to him and rubbed her back lightly, muttering to her as he did so, " you're not a charity case. Regardless of whatever's happened to you in the past, you're still clever and brilliant and talented. We're not going to treat you any differently if you don't want it. You're still going to be the weird spacegirl. "

" Thanks," Lily mumbled as they broke apart. There was a pause, before Lily said, " You know, you're not always the sarcastic sadistic sod who annoys everyone. You're different sometimes. "

Owen shrugged in an offhand way though he gave her a grin, " Only with the people I _really _care about. But don't go spreading it around, eh? "

Lily smiled at him and headed for the door. Once the pair of them entered the main hub, no-one would have known they'd had a soppy conversation and had a hug and a rare moment of Owen being nice to someone. They were now just being casual as they approached the others, gathered around the monitor.

" Hey baby," Jack said, touching her arm lightly. Lily smiled at the little gesture of affection and leaned into the touch before looking at the screen. She noticed Ianto looking between she and Owen and she offered him a brief smile.

" What's going on? " Lily asked Jack, getting back into the working mode.

" Martha's in one of the offices," Jack explained as they watched the inside of the office on the screen, where Martha had hacked into one of the computers and found an image of the parasite that had attacked she, Lily and Owen earlier.

" They call it the Mayfly," they heard Martha say, since she was in the office alone.

" It's beautiful," said Tosh as they looked at an image of the Mayfly.

" I'll bet it's lethal," Owen corrected.

" Aren't all parasites? " Lily shrugged before narrowing her eyes, " but the question is, what's Copley doing with them? Why does he need them? "

" Martha," Jack said, touching the comm connected to their friend, " we've taken control of the computer and we can download all of this from here. I want you out of there, right away. "

While Tosh and Gwen worked on the files from the Pharm's computers, the others watched Martha's movements on the screen. Lily watched, hoping her friend would be alright, since if anything happened to her, it would be their fault for getting her involved.

They watched as Martha came into a deserted corridor cautiously. She'd only been there a moment before a loud alarm blared from the Pharm. Lily cursed under her breath, as they watched Martha hurry to the window and look outside, where she saw security guards rushing past.

Lily reached forward instinctively and typed a quick message for Martha to get to safety.

" Jack? " Gwen called.

Jack moved over to Gwen and Lily left Owen at the monitor and then joined Jack and Gwen. Gwen showed them a list of clinical trial subjects on the screen - all people who had been the murder victims -, and Jack pointed out one name.

" Who's BD? " he asked, seeing only initials and not a full name.

Gwen shrugged and clicked on it. Lily leaned forward and looked at the screen, " Cleared for executive action," he said with a frown, looking at Jack, " you know what that means, don't you? "

Jack nodded, " Old military terminology for assassinations. The Pharm are running their own hit man - kinda unusual for a medical research facility. "

"Look at that name," said Gwen, pointing someone out, " that's one we haven't seen before - Elin Morgan? Hasn't been reported dead or missing. "

" Yet," Lily added darkly.

" Gwen, take Ianto and pull her in," Jack ordered.

Lily went back to the monitor, and she, Owen and Jack watched as Martha tried to evade capture, each of them hoping she'd get away and get back to them.

She got outside the building and managed to hide behind a bush, while guards ran around everywhere. A few of them opened up a gated complex, and they watched as Marha snuck towards the gates and ran in while she had the chance.

" What the hell is she doing? " demanded Owen, shaking his head, " if the Pharm have their own hit man, God only knows what they're capable of. "

" Yeah, and I put her in there," Jack said, face stony and serious.

Lily knew how much Jack must be tearing himself apart for letting Martha go in there, and she looked up at him, trying to offer a comforting smile, though she was feeling the same sense of regret.

" She'll be ok, Jack," Lily told him, much more confidently than she felt.

Jack did not reply.

They watched as Martha ran through the gated complex. There was a strange noise behind her and she whipped around. The screen was filled with a brigt white light and then there was nothing.

" We've lost the signal," Lily said frantically.

" What was that? " Jack demanded.

" Radiation surge? " offered Tosh, " I don't know! " She tapped away at her keyboard and started working, but nothing was happening, " I can't get her back. "

" We have to get her out of there," Owen said, voicing what everyone was thinking, though it might not be the easiest thing to do.

" With security everywhere? " asked Tosh in disbelief, " if we try and steam in, we'll be putting her at risk! "

" We can't just leave her in there," pointed out Owen, " anything could be happening to her. "

" She can handle herself," Jack said, shaking his head, " she's been in worse situations than this. "

Lily looked at him, unsure, " Jack, I know she's done all sorts, but it doesn't make this any less dangerous. We need to think of something. "

" I know," Jack replied shortly, frowning.

Lily sighed, not sure what else to say.

The tense silence was interrupted by Ianto over the comms, " Jack, we've got Billy Davis. He could help you get into the Pharm. "

" Bring him in," Jack replied, touching his ear piece as he spoke.

Lily shrugged, " That might give us something. If we've got their hitman, surely we can get in. "

Once Ianto and Gwen brought in Billy, Jack and Owen took him down to the cells to interrogate him. Lily meant to join them but went instead to answer the phone in Jack's office. When the phonecall was over, she joined Jack, Owen and Ianto in the cells.

Billy was standing in the middle of the corridor, looking at the weevils, flanked by Jack and Owen, while Ianto was stood way back in the doorway at the bottom of the steps. Lily stood beside Ianto, glanced at the scene in front of her, and then took a few steps forwards.

" Okay, Billy, we're going into the Pharm," said Jack in that tone of authority, " and you're going to front it for us. "

Billy nodded and started to reply, though he didn't get very far, as he bent over and clutched at his stomach, groaning. He tilted his head back and started to gasp for breath, and no-one knew quite what to make of it.

Lily darted forwards to try and held, though she wasn't quite sure what she was going to do. An arm hooked around her waist and grabbed her, holding her backwards because Billy had started spitting out blood

It was Jack's arm, and although he initially held Lily back, when Billy started to convolse violently he let go of her as they both tried to keep a hold on the man. Owen reached for his utensils.

" We need him alive! " Jack shouted as Billy flailed against him.

" Do something! " shouted Lily, trying to keep hold of Billy and make him be still, " the singularity scalpel! "

Owen picked it up and looked at it with a frown before starting to power it up, worrying about whether he could do it, though Lily had faith in him, and was sure she couldn't do it herself. Billy started to choke on his own blood, despite Lily slapping his back as hard as she could.

" I've got the calibrations right," Owen announced, pointing it at Billy's stomach, " I think I can do it. "

The scalpel powered up, and they all waited for it to work. Instead, Billy's chest seemed to shake, and they watched in horror as the mayfly inside Billy burst out of him. Lily couldn't believe what was happening, and Billy's body fell to the floor as blood and guts splattered everywhere.

Lily let out a horrified gasp as she looked down at herself, covered in someone else's blood and insides - a complete mess. She looked around to see that the others were in a similar situation, as was the entire room.

" Owen! " Jack snapped, " you can clear all of this up. And are you really sure you had the calibrations right? "

" I'm sorry, alright? " Owen replied, before turning his attention to the mayfly lying on the ground. He moved to it and looked at it, " He must have breathed in the larva when one of his victims died. " He looked at Lily as he drew himself up to full height, " this could have been me, or Martha, or you."

Lily winced at the thought of it and glanced at Jack. She could tell just by looking at him that if they weren't both in such a state, he'd have drawn her into one of his big protective hugs.

Jack glanced at Ianto, " We need another way to get into the Pharm," he said, " see if Tosh or Gwen can think of a way. Then this body needs disposing of when you've cleaned yourself up. Owen, you're cleaning all this up. "

Ianto nodded curtly and left the corridor, while Lily sighed and wiped her hands on her now bloody jeans and headed towards the door too.

Jack followed her and as they walked up the stairs she looked over her shoulder at him.

" Do I have time to get a quick shower before we do anything? "

" If you make it lightening quick," Jack replied with a shrug, " because we're going to have to get to the Pharm shortly. "

Lily nodded and went off to get a shower. She did it as quick as she could, and tossed aside her dirty, bloodied clothes. She got dressed into a pair of darker jeans and a purple button down blouse. She was disappointed at not being able to wear her long black trenchcoat, but knew it would have to be sent to the cleaners - maybe she could get Ianto onto it. She didn't know much about human chores, and had been getting Ianto to send her things to a dry cleaner since she arrived in Cardiff

When she got back upstairs, the others were gathered around as if they'd got something planned.

" What's going on? " she asked, running a hand through her wet hair.

" Time to go," Jack said, nodding at her, " we've got a plan. Not the kindest of plans, and a bit gross, but it's got to be done. "

Lily was shocked when she found out what the plan was, and she was against using a body in that way, but Jack pointed out that it could be to save Martha's life, for all they knew. She gave in, as much as she hated the thought of it, and soon they were all in the van that belonged to Billy.

Billy's body was propped up in the drivers seat, with Toshiko behind him, driving, the rest of the team huddled low in the van so they'd be out of sight.

Lily was thankful that they got past security and into the Pharm, using Billy's body, to make it look like he was driving. They got through to the main building, and once they were there successfully, Jack pushed open the back doors and they all snuck out.

Jack adressed the team, giving the orders, " Tosh, Gwen, Ianto, check out Zone A. Owen, Lily, We're going after Martha. Let's go. "

Then they were all off running as fast as they could, determined to find Martha and save her. Lily was extremely thankful when they looked through a door to see Martha, but her pleasure was dempaened when they saw the situation she was in.

Martha was strapped to a table, while Copley was close by her, looking at a monitor.

" Guns," Jack said simply.

Lily nodded and pulled out her stun gun, while Owen and Jack pulled out real guns.

Jack moved forwards and burst through the doors holding his gun out, Owen and Lily walking behind him.

" Hands above your head !" Jack demanded.

Copley turned in suprise and held up both of his hands innocently, while the three Torchwood team looked at him coldly. Lily noticed the Iv drip inked to Martha's arm.

" What have you done to her? " she demanded.

" Tell me that's not Reset," Owen added, noting the drip too.

Professor Copley shrugged, " She's survived the larval stage, the only subject ever to do so. Fascinating," Owen started to check Martha over, while Copley spoke, " turns out those bugs practise sibling cannibalism. Only the strongest individual is left now. God only knows what happens next. "

" Put a stop to this! " demanded Owen loudly.

" I can't," Copley said, making Jack raise the gun to his face. Copley panicked and shook his head, " I don't know how! "

Lily sighed in frustration - there had to be something they could do. Lily moved closer to her friend and watched as her stomah moved - the mayfly inside her was moving and her stomach gurgled. Lily watched helplessly. She felt guilty and sad, and didn't know what to do.

Owen was watching too, thinking about what he could do, and he looked over at Jack, " This thing's killing her. I don't know what I can do. "

" There's got to be something," Jack said, keeping his eyes on Copley.

" I just don't know," Owen said, shaking his head.

Lily frowned, trying to think about something to do and she closed her eyes, trying to think. She opened her eyes and looked at Owen. She noticed that Owen was looking towards his bag, with the singularity scalpel, and she followed his gaze. There was no other option, but they couldn't do it - not after Billy.

Lily's attention was caught by Jack putting a hand to his comm suddenly, and muttering a reply to someone. He nodded and Lily heard him say, " Thanks Ianto. Tell Tosh to go for total shutdown. " When he ended the communication, he looked at Copley, " This place is a torture chamber. "

" I won't debate medical ethics with you," Copley said simply.

" You abused the Mayflies," Lily said, in an accusing tone, moving away from Martha and Owen, where Owen was preparing a syringe, " you turned them into parasites. "

" We didn't understand how the mayflies reproduced, Miss," said Copley, " we tried to limit the damage. "

" By murdering people? " Lily snapped.

" They were going to die anyway," was the response, which made her glare, " we're on the edge of the greatest discovery in history. It's got to be worth a few sacrifices. " He glanced at Jack, " You must understand this - you're involved in alien research. "

" Not like this," Jack said, shaking his head, " I protect aliens. I'm shutting this place down. "

" In your dreams," the professor scoffed.

Jack shrugged, " As we speak, I've got people crashing your data banks and wiping your records. "

" That's cyber terrorism! " Copley cried, " you can't do that! "

Lily shrugged, hating the way this man worked, and wanting to shut all his work down and save Martha, " Tough," she told him, " it's happening. And it's - "

" Only the start," Jack said, finishing her sentence for her, " We'll trip the systems and the power will cut. Sprinklers will be activated, and a large part of this facility will be flooded with inert gases. "

" For God's sake! " Copley moaned, " we're on the same side! "

" We're not," Lily countered, " we're nothing like you. "

" Jack, I need help! " Owen's voice interrupted, and both Jack and Lily paid attention to Martha and Owen for the first time in a few minutes.

Jack rushed over as he saw Martha convulsing, and went to hold her down, while Owen fiddled with the knobs on the singularity scalpel.

" What the hell are you doing? " demanded Jack as he spotted the scalpel, and Martha convulsed again. Lily moved over held down the other half of Martha's body, trying to soothe her.

" This is the only way to save her," Owen reasoned, " I think I understand how it works now. "

" Jack, what other option do we have? " Lily asked, shaking her head, though she had heavy doubts of her own.

" You'd better be sure," Jack said, looking at Owen as all three of them concentrated on Martha, " because it's never worked before. Owen, are you sure it's safe? "

" It's time to do it," Owen said.

" Owen! " Jack repeated, as Martha writhed in pain, " Tell me you're sure! You could kill her with that thing! "

Owen didn't reply as he was concentrating, and Lily bit down on her lip nervously at they watched what was going on. She was determined that they would be able to save Martha but she was worried whether they'd be able to do it

" We're losing her! " Lily said, shaking her head as she looked at Owen

Owen zaped suddenly, and Martha gasped for breath as her body surged upwards. She was worried about it, and stared in horror as Martha slumped back, out cold, and the monitor flatlined.

" What the hell have you done? " Jack demanded, horrified.

Lily held her breath - Martha had to be okay. She needed to be. Her eyes started to well with tears as she thought about it, but she jumped when Martha coughed. She breathed a sigh of relief and noted the grateful looks on both Owen and Jack's faces.

" Oh thank god for that," Lily breahted, blinking away the tears that had threatened to fall.

" Thank god," Owen echoed quietly as Jack helped Martha up, and they all went to leave. Lily groaned in frustration when she realised that Copley had slipped out without them noticing, but Jack hold her it wasn't the main concern - they needed to get out now, and Tosh was working on shutting the whole thing down.

As they hurried up the corridor, Martha was falling behind, and Owen pulled her arm around his shoulders, helping her along, while Jack groped around for Lily's hand and hed it firmly and protectively when he found it.

Once they were outside, Martha seperated from Owen, and Jack lost his grip on Lily's hand, secure in the knowledge that they were all safe now. They saw Ianto, Tosh and Gwen by the vehicle as they joined them. Tosh was working hard to shut the operation down, while Gwen had a gun to the nurse who aided Copley.

Jack nodded at Tosh, " Do it," he commanded.

It took Tosh a few seconds, and then she'd done it, finished shutting down the facility. Lily smiled a little proud, at the thought of it, and Jack looked around at all of his team, " Good work," he said, " time to go! "

Everyone obeyed, glad their work was over, and started towards the Torchwood SUV. Gwen, Tosh and Ianto were the first, then Jack, followed by Lily, then Owen and Martha.

Lily stopped dead when she heard the click of a gun.

She quickly whirled around and frowned deeply when she saw that Copley was pointing his gun at Martha. Lily edged forwards - she wouldn't die - if he was going to point a gun at anyone, it might as well be her. She moved slowly, aware that Jack's eyes were fixed on her.

" Did you really think I was just going to let you walk away? " Copley snarled, " you've ruined everything I've worked for. "

Lily was aware that this could be dangerous, and she edged her way in front of Martha, while the others tried to make for their guns. Lily tried to be brave and hope that they'd all get out alright.

She moved in front of Martha and shook her head, looking directly at Copley, " This isn't the way to solve things," she said, " just put the gun down. "

Copley laughed, and since he couldn't get to Martha, he adjusted the gun, gripping tighter, pointing it straight at Lily's chest. If he expected her to beg him to spare her, it wasn't going to happen. Lily's priority was the humans because she knew she'd be alright.

" I'll do it," Copley said.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " Will you? Then what are you waiting for? " She felt certain that he was going to do it, and she tried to keep a brave face. She was a little over 200. She wouldn't mind a new regeneration. It wasn't much of a loss to her, even if she heard Jack hiss her name from somewhere behind her, and heard him trying to move forwards.

Copley's finger moved to the trigger, and Owen spoke up, suprising Lily.

" Let's not do anything stupid," he said to Copley, moving towards Lily and Martha. He looked over his shoulder at them, smiled, and then moved towards Copley, taking a slow step.

" We're both rational men," reasoned Owen, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, " scientists. " Lily suddenly had a very bad feeling about it, and her instincts were usually spot on.

" Owen! " she shouted, trying to move forwards, though she couldn't get around him.

" I know you don't want to shoot," Owen said, shaking his head.

The next thing that happened shocked everyone. There was a loud bang, and Owen fell to the ground, hard, having been shot from such a short distance away. Everyone was staring in shock, except Copley, who looked rather pleased with himself.

Lily didn't quite know what to do, and she fell to her knees beside her friend in horror, leaning over him. She was vaguely aware of everything else around them - the others also horrified, words in the background, and even Jack's shooting of Copley barely drew a reaction from her.

" Owen," she said quietly, leaning over him, and not caring that the blood from his chest wound pressed off onto her shirt. She laid each of her hands on his shoulders, " Owen," she said, shaking her head, " can you hear me? " She looked around and her eyes locked on one person, " Jack! Do something! "

Jack fell to his knees beside his girlfriend and hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her back a little and allowing her to lean against him, as they watched Martha inject Owen with a syringe.

Jack muttered things to Owen, trying to make him stay with them and look at them, but Lily wasn't thinking calm enough to make sense of them. She'd seen lots of death, but when it was the death of someone who was a friend and a death she could have prevented, it was much much harder.

Jack held onto Lily tighter, praying for Owen. The whole team watching with bated breath, and when Owen's deep breathing slowed right down, Lily's panic alarms in her head started blaring.

Owen wasn't moving.

A tear slid down Lily's cheek - she'd only just been getting to know Owen better, and after the converation they'd had earlier, she'd been feeling a lot closer to him.

" He's dead," Martha said, after checking a pulse.

Lily shook her head in disbelief - it had all happened so fast. She looked around at the rest of the team, who were all in complete shock. Lily didn't have any tears for Owen, as much as she wanted to cry for her friend. The shock seemed to take them away, and all she could do was stare at his lifeless body.

" Owen," Jack muttered, shaking his head.

" I could have saved him," Lily whispered.


	11. Dead Man Walking

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Sorry about the delays between chapters - have got lots of exams and lots of revision to do, but am trying to write this whenever I have come spare time.**

Chapter Eleven

An hour later, the team were standing in the autopsy room. Lily stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at Owen's pale and lifeless body - he was lying on the table, flat on his back, only a thin sheet covering his body, up to his waist, with the bullet wound in his chest visible.

Ianto had been the one to clean him up and prepare him for the autopsy Martha had to carry out, but none wanted it to happen - couldn't bear to watch their friend being cut up, but couldn't take themselves away.

Martha was standing by the table in her scrubs, a mask over her face, Tosh and Gwen at the top of the stairs leaning on the railings, Ianto stood at the bottom, beside Lily. Lily's face was stained with dried up tear tracks, and she hadn't changed out of the purple shirt she'd been wearing when Owen died. The front of her shirt was covering in his blood, from where she'd leant over him, trying to help.

Jack wasn't around, since he'd shut himself in the office when he got back, and Lily hadn't been brave enough to go in there with him.

Lily felt hollow and empty as she watched Martha adjust the microphone hanging in the air - Owen had been becoming a good friend, and she knew she could have saved him. She'd stood in front of Martha when Copley had the gun, for God's sake. If Owen hadn't stood in front of _her, _or if she'd just been quickly and yanked him out of the way, - if she'd insisted on standing in front of everyone. She couldn't help but feel responsible for his death - such a waste of a life and he was so talented and promising.

She took a deep, shaky breath as Martha spoke, and beside her, she heard Ianto's breaths - also deeper than they should be.

" The time is 21:30," announced Martha, " autopsy on Owen Harper, causasian male, aged 27. Torchwood Officer 565. Time of death witnessed at approximately 20.30. Autopsy begins. "

As Martha selected the largest knife from her tray and prepared to make the first cut, Lily closed her eyes and turned her back on the table, not being able to face it.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard a loud voice from above her, " Stop! "

She looked up to see Jack standing there, frantically pointing a finger at Martha, his expression tense, " Stop! Nobody touches him until I get back, is that clear? "

With that, he was gone, leaving them all confused.

" Jack! " Lily shouted, summoning up the enrgy to bound up to stairs, but by that time, the cog door's alarm blared and he was long gone.

" What the hell was that all about? " Gwen asked, looking around at everyone.

No-one had an answer, and Lily rolled her eyes, " I hate it when he does this - just goes running off without telling us what's going on. God, it's so frustrating. The next time he does this, just runs off and leaves me sitting around worrying about him, he can sleep on the bloody sofa. "

Her words were followed by silence and Lily shook her head, realising how stupid she must sound, and how daft it was in this serious situation. " I'm sorry," she said, folding her arms, " I'm just so ... we're all really upset about this, right? It's getting the better of me, I guess. "

She felt Ianto's comforting hand on her shoulder and he looked around at everyone, " Come on," he said, " let's all just sit down and relax. It's been a very tough day and we can't do anything until Jack gets back. "

Lily nodded as everyone started to filter out of the bay, she put her hand over Ianto's lightly, " I'll be with you in a minute," she said. Ianto nodded in acceptance, and left Lily to it - he'd come to think of her as a better friend and his previously intense attraction to Jack had simmered down to almost nothing now.

Once she was alone, Lily slowly wandered over to Owen's body and stood beside him. Feeling guilty and distraught, she reached out with one hand and brushed his dark hair back across his forehead and looked down at him. Now, all the smirking and teasing and smugness was gone, and the only thing etched across his face was peace. She sighed and leant down to plant a long gentle kiss on his forehead, closing her eyes and allowing a single tear to fall onto Owen's face as she did so.

" I'm sorry," she said, after straightening up, wiping away the tear she'd left behind.

Of course, there was no reply, so she turned on her heel and left, going to join the others. She found them sitting in completely silence, each staring at the floor or at the opposite walls, in the recreation room.

Ianto and Martha were sat side by side on the sofa, while Gwen and Tosh sat in each armchair. Lily closed the door behind her, but turned to stand in the window, chewing on her thumbnail as she watched for Jack.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, but all she wanted was Jack - firstly to find out what the hell he was doing, and secondly because she just wanted some comfort, and to comfort him.

She jumped slightly when the alarm sounded and the cog door wheeled open, leaving way for Jack to sweep into the hub, clutching a wooden box to his chest. He was hurrying towards his office, and Lily yanked open the door.

" Jack? " she called, following him to the office, the others also following along.

When she entered his office, Jack quickly moved towards her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before she demanded, " Where've you been? You just ran off on me! "

" And what have you got? " asked Gwen, pointing at the wooden box.

Jack leant over and reached into the box, taking out a metal glove. Lily looked at it curiously, and when she saw the looks on everyone else's faces, she knew it was bad news. She tried to rack her brains, and remembered Jack telling her about some of his adventures - she remembered him telling her about a resurrection glove in connection to an old worker named Suzie.

" Oh my God," Tosh breathed.

" You can't use it," Gwen said, " not after Suzie. " Lily nodded to herself - so she'd guessed right. This was the same as the glove Jack had told her about, which brought people back to life for a few minutes - or permanently in the case of Suzie.

" I'm using it," Jack said firmly, his jaw setting, " I'm bringing Owen back. "

Lily wanted Owen back alive, but was wary, and as she followed Jack to the autopsy bay, her mind whirred with all the different possibilities.

" What's going to happen? " Lily asked, following Jack down the stairs so fast she almost slipped down them.

" You're not really going to use that? " Gwen asked in disapproval, " Jack, we know now that the gloves are dangerous. At best it'll give us two minutes with him, at worst ... who knows what will happen? "

As much as Lily didn't like Gwen, she had to find herself agreeing.

" It's not up for discussion," Jack said simply.

Lily saw the hurt look in Jack's eyes, and instantly realised why he was doing this - she knew Jack inside out, and as he slipped the glove on, she moved over to him, laying a hand on his arm.

" I know why you're doing this," she said, quietly enough that the others couldn't hear, because they were filling Martha in on the details of the resurrection glove.

" I know you do," Jack said, looking straight at her, knowing her inside out too, " and I know you feel the same. "

" It's not your fault," Lily told him.

" Isn't it? " Jack countered, " I sent him in there. He's my employee. You're not responsible, baby, even if you think you are, but I am. I need to do this. I need to bring him back. "

" I know," Lily sighed - she felt the same way, even if she knew it was wrong, but she felt like they had to try for Owen - they owed it to him.

She stepped back and allowed Jack to hook Owen up to the monitor. Jack looked around at everyone, " Okay," he said, " if you've got anything you need to say to Owen, this is your chance. "

Jack leaned over and cradled Owen's head in his gloved hand, closing his eyes as he threw back his head in concentration, trying to make the connection. The electricity crackled, and Lily held her breath, hoping it would work, so they had chance to say a proper goodbye.

" Owen," Jack said carefully, " Can you hear me? Owen, listen to me. come out here - come to me. "

" I'm getting no vital signs," Ianto said quietly, checking the monitor.

" Owen! " Jack said, louder, " you've got to come to me. " Suddenly, he looked around at everyone, " it's working! It's happening - he's coming! "

From the monitor, loud pulses sounded and the monitor started to beep loudly. Owen's eyes snapped opened and he let out a long and loud scream, making everyone stare in shock, but feel relieved he was back.

" Oh my God," Martha gasped, echoed Lily's thoughts exactly.

" What happened? " asked a panicked Owen, looking around with wide eyes, " where am I? Oh God, I've been shot. He shot me. "

Lily stepped forwards, " Owen, calm down, just listen to me. "

" Oh," Owen said, noticing Lily for the first time, " wotcher, spacegirl. "

Lily couldn't help but smile a little, " There isn't much time," she told him.

His eyes wandered down her body and stopped at her chest and stomach, noticing the ugly stains over her shirt, " What the hell happened to you? " he asked, " is that - " he winced, " is that my blood? "

Lily folded her arms over her chest, " Suppose I should have changed. Never mind that now. "

Owen's eyes rolled back in his head as he lost interest in Lily's clothes " Where am I? This isn't the hospital, this is the autopsy room. What am I doing here? " Seeing the glove on his cheek, Jack's hand buried inside, his eyes widened, " Jack! Oh, no. No! What's that? What's that? "

"The resurrection glove," Jack admitted, " we lost you, but I brought you back. "

" How long have I got? " Owen asked, much more calmly.

Ianto consulted his stopwatch, " We're at thirty seconds and counting. "

" Oh no. Jesus, really? " Owen sighed, moaning.

" Okay team," Jack said, looking around at them all, " say your goodbyes. Lily? "

Lily nodded, " Owen," she said quickly, aware that everyone wanted time to say goodbyes, and they'd all known him much longer than she had, so she couldn't hog the time, " one, thank you. Two, sorry. "

" Gwen," Jack said, though his eyes lingered on Lily.

When Gwen didn't say anything, Owen groaned in frustration, " Gwen, no offense, but I've got two minutes to live! "

" Tosh! " Jack cried, rushing everything along.

Tosh hurried to Owen's side and blurted out the words at full speed, " I'm gonna miss you. And - and I love you. Always have. "

Lily gave her friend a brief smile, trying to be comforting, and when she turned back to Jack and Owen, Owen was giving Jack the code for the alien morgue.

Then Owen sighed and clutched onto Jack's hand tightly, " There's nothing," he mumbled, " in death - nothing. Just darkness. "

" Two minutes," Ianto announced.

" Jack," Owen breathed, not wanting the other man to let go, not wanting to go, " Jack! "

" Be brave," Jack said, as Owen prepared himself.

The monitor started to beep as Jack called Owen's name, and it was clear that he was gone. The monitor flatlined - the only sound in the room - as Jack released Owen's head and put his head down on the table, still clutching the hand tightly.

The entire room was quiet and grieving, and Lily was the first one to make a move, coming to stand behind Jack and putting her hands on his shoulders lightly, trying to comfort him without having to speak.

" I'm really going to need that hand back. "

Jack's head shot up as he stared at Owen, and Lily stared too, her hands dropping to her side. She looked at Owen and found him looking back at she and Jack.

" Owen? " Jack asked in disbelief.

The entire room looked freaked out, and Lily tried to remember what the others had told her about Suzie - draining energy from the user of the glove.

" Two minutes, twenty," Ianto said, consulting the stopwatch.

Jack stood up and backed away, looking at the glove on his hand, and holding the hand up as proof, " I'm not using it," he said.

" But I'm still here," Owen pointed out.

" Oh, here we go again," Ianto sighed.

" Jack," Lily said, frowning at the glove, though she knew she should be thrilled that Owen was alive, " put the glove down. Get rid of it. "

Jack tossed the glove to the floor, and everyone turned to watch Owen sit up, panting. Lily knew something had to be amiss, but she wasn't sure what. Owen shrugged as he offered a solution to what everyone was thinking, " Maybe I cheated it somehow. Maybe ... I wasn't meant die, so I'm being kept alive. Ah, someone pass me my pants please," he looked down and stared at the pullet wound in his chest, " Woah! "

Jack winced a little, " I hate to say it, but you'll get used to it. "

As everyone looked at each other and tried to figure out what was going on, Lily looked down at her shirt, stained. She met Jack's eyes briefly, " I should go get changed," she said, " because this is disgusting, really. "

Jack couldn't help but smile despite the situation, and watched Lily walk away.

Lily changed into an orange t-shirt and then made her way back up the ladder. She walked through Jack's office and back into the main hub, where she found the others all standing around, talking.

" Latest news, " Martha informed Lily as she approached them, " Owen doesn't have a pulse. "

Lily looked at Owen with a frown, " You're dead," she said, " yet you're still here. You're absolutely positively dead, yet you're walking and talking like anyone else. Funny, that. I never met a dead person before - well, I've met people who are dead now, but not the living dead. Well, I met Jesus once - lovely bloke. I was there at the Ascension. Anyway ... I'm rambling. "

Owen rolled his eyes, " any idea what's happening to me? "

Lily shrugged, " I don't know, if you lot don't. Though you said with Suzie, the glove drained energy from the user, keeping her alive. " She looked at Jack, " how are you feeling? "

Jack held up his hands, " I'm fine," he insisted.

" Sure about that? " Lily asked.

" Yeah," Jack said simply, " I'm fine. "

Lily frowned, instantly worried about her boyfriend, " I want you checked out, just in case. "

Jack looked a little amused, " Remind me who's in charge around here? "

" It's not a joke, Jack," Lily said, looking at him, " for all we know, you're fine now, but in a few hours, you'll have been drained of all energy and your brain will shut down. Do you really want that? "

Jack looked like he was about to protest again, but Lily wasn't going to let him. She spoke over him, " Jack, come on, I just want to know that my boyfriend's alright. I know you'd do the same if it was anyone else. "

Jack gave in easily after that, and Tosh set up a piece of equipment strapped to Jack's arm, to scan him and find out how he was. While she did that, Lily turned her attention to Owen, who was buttoning his shirt over the bullet wound in his chest, a little away from everyone else.

She went to stand beside him, and frowned when she saw a bit of blood on his face. She reached for a cloth that he'd been dabbing at himself with earlier, and she reached out to rub it against his cheek, her fingers touching his skin a little.

" I can't believe I'm dead," he said, " what does it feel like? Am I all horrible and cold? "

Lily shrugged, " You feel colder than a normal human, but my body temperature is lower than human, so you just feel a bit colder than Time Lord. "

" What's going to happen to me now? " he asked her as she pulled away.

" I don't know," she replied honestly, " we've got to make sure you're not a threat to anyone or anything else, which means we need to know what energy is keeping you alive. "

" Nothing! " Tosh called out, drawing Lily's attention, " there's no connection. It's not Jack. "

" See? " Jack asked as he strode over to her, " I told you I was fine. "

" Good," Lily muttered.

Ianot entered the area, carrying the glove on a tray. He handed it to Tosh, who was the first to examine it, " It's different from the other glove," he announced, " so maybe different gloves do different things. "

" Where do they come from? " Martha asked, which was a question on Lily's lips too.

" We fished the first one out of the harbour last year," announced Ianto.

" Yeah, but where does it come from originally? " asked Martha.

Jack simply shrugged, " No idea. Tosh, I want an analysis on the glove - see what you can find. Owen, I don't need to tell you that you're under quarantine. "

" You don't need to, yet you still do," Owen said, shaking his head.

Jack walked away from them all, and Lily automatically followed. Jack stopped at his office door and turned around to lean in the doorway as he looked down at Lily.

" How're you feeling? " Lily asked him softly, " this whole thing is really weird, right? "

Jack shrugged, " I guess. I'm used to coming back to life, and I know you can come back to life - though you've never actually done it - but humans shouldn't be able to. I don't know what's going on. "

" I'm sure we'll find out," Lily said, " I can't think of what's keeping him alive from the top of my head, but once there's been a few tests, and we've had chance to observe him, it should work out. The important thing is that everyone's safe right now. "

Jack smiled slightly as he looked at her, " How did I end up with such a level headed, clever girlfriend? "

" I know, I know," Lily shrugged, " it's a mystery. "

The phone in Jack's office rang, and he sighed at the sound. Before he turned into his office, he leaned in a stole a quick kiss from his girlfriend.

Lily watched him walk away and then turned back to the workstations - Martha and Owen were in the med bay, Gwen was on the phone as she paced up and down the catwalk, and Tosh was sat in front of her computer. Lily went to sit down beside Tosh.

" You alright? " she asked her friend.

Tosh shrugged and said nothing.

Lily smiled at her friend, " I know this is completely weird, but we'll get to the bottom of it. "

Tosh sighed and leant back in her chair, confiding, " I've loved him for ages - you know that. He died and I thought that was it, but now he's sort of alive again, and I've made an idiot of myself by telling him how I feel. "

Lily shook her head, " Owen's not so bad," she said, " I bet he won't even mention it - he can be suprisingly nice, when he wants to be. " She sighed, " he and him had a conversation earlier about ... you know ... what Martha told you, and he was dead sweet. Made me feel even worse when he died. "

There was a pause, before Tosh cleared her throat, wanting to talk to Lily about it, but not quite sure what to say. " Look," she said finally, " about what Martha told us ... I had no idea you'd suffered so much ... you're so brave. "

Lily waved a hand dismissively and said, " Bravery's got nothing to do with it. I just had to deal with it. When I escaped, Martha was so helpful in making me feel better about myself, and I definitley couldn't have gotten through without Jack. " She paused, and then started to open up more, " there were times when I thought Jack and I wouldn't make it, you know. "

" You did? " Tosh asked in suprise, " but the pair of you seem so perfect together! "

" And if we'd been marginally less suited, we'd have crumbled. It was ... God, it was so hard. The things _that man _did to me, that Jack had to watch. I thought Jack'd stop loving me, and he'd leave me when I'd been through that - like I wouldn't be worth anything, and I'd been ruined. As you know, Jack did nothing of the sort. It just shows you how things aren't always going to be what you think they are. "

Tosh nodded, " I guess. " She looked at Lily, trying to work her out, and asked, " are you trying to tell me that Owen and I might end up together, despite what I might be thinking? "

Lily shrugged with a little smirk, " Well, if that's the way you want to interpret it ... "

Tosh couldn't help but smile and watched as Lily turned her attention to the resurrection glove, running her hand over it. Then her smile turned into a frown as she looked at her friend.

" Lily? " she asked carefully, " you _are_ alright now? I mean, you and Jack are the most solid couple I've ever seen, so that obviously worked out, but what about you? Are you alright? "

Lily appreciated the question and she nodded a little, trying not to look at Tosh, and tyring to remain lighthearted, " It was really hard at first, but I've been here four months. I'm adjusting. For the most part, I don't even think about it any more. There's the odd nightmare, and it gets scary, but Jack takes care of it. He's ... " she beamed, " he's my hero. "

Tosh smiled wordlessly.

The pair of them fell into a comfortable convsersation about nothing in particular, and were talking about what was on the televison that week, when Ianto approached them, handing them both a cup of coffee.

" Cheers," Lily said, taking it from him, " Tosh and I were just talking about that thing starting on tv Saturday night - you know the talent show? Are you gonna be watching it? It's all the magazines have been talking about. "

Ianto shrugged, " Talent shows aren't exactly my thing. I've already got plans for Saturday. "

" Really? " Lily asked, interested, teasing him a little " hot date? "

Ianto looked down, flushing in embarrassment, and then looking up again, " S-something like that," he said.

Lily laughed as she and Tosh exchanged looks. " Good for you," Lily nodded, thinking that Ianto deserved to be with someone, " who is she? Or he? " she added.

" She," Ianto confirmed.

When he said nothing else, Lily rolled her eyes. " Ah, come on, what are collegues for, if not gossiping? "

Ianto sighed, Lily's smile being infectious, as he knew she wouldn't give up, " I don't like to divulge my personal life at work," he said, " but I suppose as long as you two keep it to yourselves ... "

" We will," Tosh said, looking at Ianto with interest.

Ianto nodded then and hesitated before answering, " You know the pizza place we order from? "

Lily nodded - when they ordered, whoever was working at the pizza place delivered in the tourist office to Ianto.

" It's the girl who works there," he said, blushing again, " Her name's Catherine - Cate - and she's the one who usually delivers. She's quite pretty I suppose, and I ... well, we were talking, and she suggested going out for a drink. I was going to ask her anyway, but I was a bit ... "

" Shy," Lily finished for him.

Ianto nodded.

Lily smiled at him, " That's brilliant, Ianto. It'll be good for you to be with someone. "

Ianto raised his eyebrows, " You mean, not pining after Jack? "

Lily shook her head, embarrassed because it wa a little of the truth, " No," she said, caught out, " I didn't mean that - I just - "

Ianto cut her off, raising a hand, " I completely agree," he said, " I don't want Jack anymore, and I'm ready to move on. I want to be with someone else. Jack and I ... well ... I always knew it wasn't the real thing. I knew it never meant anything to him, because he was in love with someone else. So it's time I found someone suited to me. Cate could be good for me. "

Lily smiled and was about to reply when she heard a commotion coming from the medical bay. She hurried over to see Martha standing beside Owen and Jack - Jack must have crossed the hub without her even noticing.

Owen didn't seem to be in a good way, and Jack had his arms around him.

" What's going on? " Lily asked, rushing down the stairs to the medical bay.

" He just collapsed," Martha replied as Owen struggled in Jack's hold, as if he was trying to fight something off.

" Owen! " Jack called sharply, tightening his grip, " Owen, what happened? "

" I was in the darkness," Owen said, eyes wide as he shook his head, " There was something ... something. "

" What did you see? " Lily asked gently.

" I don't know," Owen said, shuddering, " It was waiting for me. Waiting in the darkness. " He sniffed, and Jack rubbed his back, trying to comfort his friend. When Owen had calmed down, Martha started to run scans on him, Lily watching carefully. When they were over, Jack called a meeting in the boardroom

Jack sat at the head of the table, with Lily on one side, Gwen on the other, and everyone else further down the table. Martha was stood at the bottom, adressing everyone.

" Owen's body is undergoing some kind of transformation," she told them, " his cells are changing, but Lily and I can't identify what the energy is. It's growing all the time, and right now, he's about 40% something else."

" But I don't feel any different," Owen replied.

Lily took over, " Look, we need to find out where this energy is coming from. From the analysis of the glove, it's ont anywhere local. Owen said he went somewhere when he collapsed, so the energy could be coming from there. "

" Like what? " Jack asked, " parallel universe? Different dimension? "

" Hey, I'm still here," Owen complained.

Jack nodded in acknowledgement, " Sorry," he said, " you said there was something in the darkness. Waiting for you. "

" Yeah," Owen said, " I felt it - I didn't see it. "

" Where do you think you went? " Jack pressed.

" I don't know," Owen said, shaking his head.

There was nothing more to say, and Jack called the meeting to an ending. As everyone headed back to the workstations, Jack started giving the orders.

" Martha, keep checking Owen's energy levels," said Jack, " Ianto, check the internal readings for any anomalies. " As the rest of the team went about their work, Jack headed to his office, and Lily followed.

They went into the office and Jack sat down in his chair, leaving Lily to sit on the edge of the desk.

Jack sighed, " I've got paperwork to do," he said, " downside of the job. "

Lily shrugged, " Yeah, so there's a few downsides, but what about the upsides? I mean, you get to be the boss, and order everyone else around. Not to mention having a glamorous assistant to sit on your desk.

Jack smirked, " Assistant? " he asked before shaking his head, " I think we both know that you're much more than that. "

Lily grinned and leaned down, as if she was about to kiss him, watching him lean in to her, but then moed her mouth to his ear and said, " You've got work to do. "

Jack groaned when she pulled away, but reached for a pen to do his paperwork. Lily sat there for a while, watching his hand move across the paper, his neat handwriting left behind, and it wasn't long before she got bored, and took the pen from Jack's hand, before taking his hand.

Jack looked at her with a smirk, " While this is lovely, it does rather distract me from working. "

Lily wasn't bothered, " So what? "

Jack relented easily, holding her hand tighter and bringing his other hand to play with her fingers, " Fine then. There was something I wanted to ask you actually - earlier, when we used the glove on Owen and we all started saying our goodbyes ... you said thank you and you said sorry. I know you said sorry because you feel you could have stopped him dying, but why did you thank him? "

Lily tried not to answer, but Jack could always tell when she was lying - the downside of someone who knew her inside out.

She ran her thumb across the back of his hand as she said, " Owen and I were talking, a few hours before we all went to the Pharm. I was a bit freaked out, and he gave me a hug and he was just really nice to me. "

Jack's eyes narrowed in suspicion, " What were you worried about? " he asked.

" Nothing," Lily said, not wanting to have to bring it up.

" Right," Jack said in a deadpan, " you were freaked out about nothing, and then Owen gave you a hug - which is quite out of character for him. "

Lily shrugged, " He's got a soft side, but he just doesn't like to show it. "

" What were you upset about? " Jack asked, softer this time, as he squeezed her hand in reassurance. He was looking straight at her, and Lily knew she had to tell him.

She looked down at her lap as she told him quietly, " They all know. Owen and the others - they found out about what happened while you were away. The Year That Never Was. "

Jack immediately frowned, " What do they know? " he asked.

" Everything. "

" _How _do they know? " Jack asked, anger seeping into his voice - he and Lily hadn't told anyone, because Lily didn't want to be made to feel awkward around her collegues, and Jack didn't want everyone gossiping about his girlfriend. She'd been through enough.

Lily didn't reply, not wanting to make a big fuss, or get Martha into trouble.

Jack dropped her hand, " Well someone told them," he said sternly, " and it wasn't me and it wasn't your dad. The only other people who know are you, Martha, Lucy Saxon and Martha's family. Lucy Saxon's in prison, the team haven't met Martha's family, and I doubt you told them. Which means - "

" Fine! " Lily said, " just don't make a big deal out of it. "

Jack stood up and started to move around the desk, his voice raised as his fierce protectiveness towards Lily grew and turned into anger at Martha. " How dare she? " he demanded, " what right had she to tell everyone? If we wanted them to know, you'd have told them yourself! You don't want everyone knowing all the awful little things that man did to you! _I _don't want you go have to go through that! "

" Jack," Lily said, sighing as she pushed herself off the desk, " I told you, I don't want you to make a big deal out of it. It's all in the past. "

" That's the point! " Jack said angrily, laying a hand on the doorknob, " we want to move on, and to put it aside, but how can we when everyone knows about it? Everyone thinks about it, and talks about it. Baby, I don't want that for you. You'd think Martha could be more discrete - I'm going to have a word with her. "

He yanked open the office door and Lily strode across the office towards him, shouting his name. That made him stop, and he turned back to face her.

" Shut the door," Lily said firmly. Jack hesitated and Lily rolled her eyes, " Jack - shut the door! "

When he did it, Lily nodded and then walked closer to him, stopping in front of him, and putting her hands on his chest, sliding them to his braces, and holding onto his braces as she looked at him - he was standing there, looking furious as he tried to calm himself down.

" Listen to me," Lily said, using what she thought was her most soothing voice, " I really _really_ appreciate your concern, and I think you're so brilliant. But there's no point making a big deal out of it - we've got other things to do. You know what those lot are like, they probably nagged at Martha until she felt like she had to say something. Don't say anything to her about it. "

" But - " Jack started.

Lily shook her head, " Shhh, kitten. The point is, they all know, but they're not treating me any differently, so there's no harm done. It's better for them - they're not curious, and now they understand why we're so cautious with each other sometimes. I spoke to Owen, and he was so nice about it - he promised that it didn't change things. I spoke to Tosh - no-one's bothered, Jack. They know, but they're not going to keep bringing it up. They know it's over, and it should stay that way. "

Jack had calmed down a bit now, and he looked down at Lily carefully, before nodding. " I'm sorry," he said, " I suppose I tend to fly off the handle when it comes to protecting you. "

Lily shook her head, " Don't apologise for it - it's lovely that you care so much. I was telling Tosh earlier, that I couldn't have made it through everything without you. You're my hero. "

Jack smiled and kissed the top of her head, " I love you," he said.

Once everything was calmed down, Jack went back to sitting behind his desk, Lily sitting in front of him. They'd not been alone long when the door opened and Martha rushed in, clutching a small hand held monitor.

Lily's eyes flew to Jack, and she willed him to remain calm and not mention anything, which he did.

" Have you seen Owen? " asked Martha frantically.

" I think he was with Tosh," Lily shrugged, " why, what's going on? "

Martha looked worried, and the worry came across to Jack and Lily, " The energy in him just went off the scale. "

Lily jumped up off the desk, and the three of them were hurrying into the main hub.

" Owen? " Lily shouted as they hurried to the workstations, where only Gwen and Tosh sat, " Owen! Get the hell over here! "

" Nothing like a good bedside manner," Jack said, smirking a little.

Lily shrugged, " No time to be nice. Owen! "

" He said he needed the toilet," Tosh told them.

Lily frowned, " I don't think so. Owen's dead, which means his digestive system has shut down. He can't eat or drink, so he certainly doesn't need to use the toilet. "

" Well, I don't think he's coming," Jack said, irritated.

Gwen, meanwhile, had been checking the computers. " He's not in the hub," Gwen told them.

" So he's out there? " asked Martha, looking towards the cog door.

Lily sighed, " We should get looking for him," she said, walking over to her desk, where she saw Jack's military coat thrown across her chair - it was so lovely and warm that she sometimes walked around with the coat wrapped around her.

As she went to get the coat, she heard Jack say, " It's Owen - it's not like he's dangerous. "

" Isn't he? " Martha asked, " Owen's just had a surge of energy that we can't understand. The cells in his body are being transformed into something else. He's about 50% human and 50% something else. We need to stop thinking of him as Owen. "

" Easier said than done," Lily said, holding out Jack's coat for him, while he slipped into it, " we'd better get going. "

Jack started towards the door quickly, but turned back to look at Lily, " Baby, I'm sorry, but would you mind staying here? I need someone to look after the place and be in charge here. "

" Yeah, and finish your paperwork," Lily scoffed, " just go find Owen. "

When he was gone, Lily took his paperwork and sat behind her down desk with it - there was something very oddd about being in Jack's office. Although he was the boss, he'd never shown his authority over her, and he always told her he didn't want to be the boss of her, but it still felt wrong to be in his office, and work in the office.

She was sitting behind the desk for a while, sucking on the end of her pen and frowning at the paperwork, when she heard the phone in Jack's office ring. She ran over to answer it, before the person could hang up, and she caught it just in time

" Torchwood," she said quickly.

" Am I speaking to the person in charge? " asked the male voice on the other end.

Lily shrugged and replied, " Yes, you are. "

" Right then," came the other voice, " I'm Sergeant Powell from the Cardiff Police. I have two men here claiming to be Torchwood employees. A "captain" Jack Harkness and a "Doctor" Owen Harper. "

" Oh God," Lily sighed, running her free hand through her hair, " what have they done now? "

" Can you confirm these men are Torchwood employees, ma'am? " asked the sergeant.

" Yes, I can," Lily sighed, " do they needing bailing out? "

" No ma'am," the officer replied, " they were arrested for fighting in a bar, but we're releasing them on caution. As of now, they're free to go. "

" Right, thank you," Lily said, before hanging up. She then snatched up the reciever again and called Jack's mobile. The moment he answered, she spoke, " You got arrested? "

" Oh. Hi. "

" Arrested for fighting in a bar? " Lily asked, this time sounding amused, " why can you not go anywhere without causing chaos? "

" I found Owen, didn't I? " Jack replied.

Lily sighed, " Everything's alright then? "

" Yeah, we're coming back now," said Jack.

" Good," Lily said, before hanging up, feeling both exasperated and amused at the situation, and glad that they'd gotten Owen back. She went into the hub to find Martha, Tosh, Gwen and Ianto standing around Tosh's computer, each looking puzzled.

" What's going on? " she asked, wanting to be in on the action, and to know what progress they were making - or if this wasn't work, she wanted to be in on the gossip.

Tosh looked at the screen and then told Lily, " I checked out some of the CCTV footage earlier. Just look what I found out. "

Lily watched as Tosh played it, and the others had already watched it, but watched it again. Lily was shocked when she saw Owen in the lab, his eyes just pools of darkness, as he spoke in an alien language.

" Is this for real? " Lily asked, staring at the screen.

" What the hell is it? " Gwen asked, " what's happening to him? "

" Looks like this is whatever's taking over Owen," she said, " something's taking over, and it's doing it pretty fast. "

" Shall I get the translator out? " Ianto asked, as everyone seemed to accept Lily's authority.

Lily shook her head, " No need, remember? It translates to "I shall walk the Earth and my hunger will know no bounds." Thing is, I'm sure I've heard those words before, and I've got a really bad feeling about this. "

" You don't know the half of it," Jack called from the doorway.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " That was quick," she said, momentarily forgetting the alien in Owen, " don't tell me you picked up another handful of speeding fines on the way home? "

" Never mind that," Jack said as he and Owen walked forwards, " what about this? Owen and I were chased by a dozen or so weevils on the way to the SUV. And they were all scared of Owen - just answered to him. "

Lily looked at Owen curiously and then looked back at Jack, " Well we've got CCTV of Owen - sorry about this, Owen," she added to him, " - speaking in an alien language. "

" Exactly as he did to the weevils probably," Jack nodded.

Jack, Owen and Martha went down to the cells, while Lily decided to stay upstairs, trying to work out where she'd heard the words before. She nodded when she thought of it, and told the only other person nearby - Gwen.

Gwen got onto running it through google to find out if it had any truth, and the results were quite interesting.

When Jack, Owen and Martha came back up a few minutes later, and Jack told everyone that the weevil had backed away as soon as Owen stepped up to the glass, Lily told Jack she wanted a team meeting.

" You'll be taking my job away from me soon," Jack quipped as they all sat around the table, this time Lily standing at the head, Gwen standing beside her - the two women might not really see eye to eye, but they'd reached a grudging agreement, and they knew they'd have to agree to disagree.

" So," Lily said, leaning across the table and taking charge in a way that reminded Martha of the Doctor, " we've got something very odd on our hands. Owen appears to be King of the Weevils or something, now. Not good, whichever way you look at it, but I think Owen's not completely unique. "

" Cheers," Owen muttered.

Lily shrugged and then continued, " "I shall walk the Earth and my hunger shall know no bounds." I knew I'd heard the words before, from an old legend, but I just couldn't remember the details. Gwen and I researched it - in the legends, the man who spoke those words was Death himself. "

This was met my confusion and disbelief from the rest of the team.

" There's no such thing," Martha said.

Lily scoffed, " You of all people should know that anything could exist. "

" Yeah, but I'm dead, not Death," Owen said.

Lily looked at him, " Really? " She was sort of enjoying taking charge of a situation as she continued, " let me explain. I found wood carvings depicting Death. They date back to the 15th century to a parish named St James, back in the time of the plague. "

Gwen took over when Lily glanced at her, " When they heard about the plague, the people of the parish built a wall around the town. However, that didn't prevent a small girl from dying. The legend says that the priest performed a miracle and brought the girl back to life, but she didn't come back alone. "

" She brought Death with her," Lily finished, " and he walked amongst them. "

Tosh looked a little skeptical as she adressed Lily, " Look," she said, " I know you're usually right about these things, and I wouldn't doubt you, but can we go on a load of old legends? "

Lily shrugged, " I just think there's too many similarities, and we can't rule out a link. I mean, look at the way it's adding up. Jack, darling, where did you find the glove? I don't suppose it was at a church named St Mary's? "

Jack nodded, " Yep. "

Lily nodded, as if she knew exactly where everything was pointing, and consulted the notes she and Gwen had taken from the internet, " St Mary's was the church of the priest. Which makes St James parish the town that later became Cardiff city. "

" What happened when Death walked amongst the townspeople? " asked Owen, as everyone started to take notice of the legends a bit more.

Lil hesitated to answer, and Gwen spoke instead, " People died. 12 people died. Death needed 13 souls before it had a permanent hold on Earth. "

" Then why did it stop at 12? " Jack asked.

" Good question," Lily said, " we don't know. All we could find was the word "Faith". Now, I don't know about you lot, but I think it all speaks for itself. Just look at the parallels between this case, and what we've done to Owen. "

There was a pause as everyone considered this, and Martha was the first to break it, " Owen is changing," she said, " who knows what the energy is - maybe it's making him a host - a gateway? "

Owen nodded, thinking it through, " I've been thinking there's something in the darkness, waiting for me to finally pass over, but I've got it wrong. It's the other way around. It's trying to get here through me. "

He sighed and looked at Martha, who was holding the scanner, " What's the reading now? "

" About 80%," the UNIT medic answered honestly.

Lily frowned - this wasn't good - they didn't know what was going to happen when it reached 100%, and she wasn't sure what they could do about it. She didn't want anything to happen to Owen, but if he was a risk, they had to do something about it.

" What happens when it completes? " Owen asked, voicing Lily's concerns, " You know, we fight monsters - what happens when _we _turn out to be the monsters. When _I _am the monster? "

Jack answered simply, " Even if we have to fight with you, you're already dead. "

" And what do we do with the dead? " Owen asked, making everyone realise how serious this was, and what they might have to do to end it, even if none of them liked the thought of it.

Jack didn't answer, not wanting to have to confirm their option.

" Come on, what do we do? " Owen asked, agitated, " we embalm the dead! If we inject a formaldehyde solution into my veins, it'll petrify my neural pathways and freeze dry my brain. It's the only way to be sure. "

There was a long pause, during which everyone knew that they were going to have to freeze Owen. Jack stood up and left the room, and then the others did too, until only Gwen, Owen and Lily were left in the room. Jack and Martha went to prepare the solution, while Tosh and Ianto prepared the equipment.

Lily gave Gwen a half hearted smile, " Good work," she told her.

Gwen nodded wordlessly, and in unison, the two women turned to look at Owen. Owen saw them both looking at him and raised his hands in surrender, " I'm fine," he told them, " really - it's better this way. "

Gwen sobbed a little and flew into his arms, hugging him fiercely, and though Owen hugged her in return, he had no tears to cry, and very little emotion to show. Gwen sniffed when they broke apart and left the room on her own.

Lily sighed as she looked at Owen and then she glanced at the door, " C'mon," she said, " I don't want to get all emotional too - been there, done that. "

Owen nodded, and they walked out of the office together. Lily could tell that Owen wasn't completely happy, even if he seemed to accept it. As they walked out of the conference room and strolled over to the medical bay, Lily looked at Owen's profile and saw him bracing himself. She took her hand in his firmly, and he held hers just as tightly.

" I'm fine," he said, as though trying to convince himself.

" Good," Lily said, " you know we wouldn't do this if there was any other choice. "

Owen nodded, " Yeah. But really, I'm ready for this. I can't eat, can't drink, and can't shag. My life isn't the same now. I'm probably better off like this. "

Lily said nothing, just remained at his side, trying to show support on behalf of the whole team, since she couldn't stand to see anyone upset, when there was something she could do to help.

They descended the steps to the medical bay hand in hand, walking at the same pace.

When they stopped at the bottom, the rest of the team were looking straight at Owen, except Jack, whose eyes were fixed on the joined hands of his girlfriend and Owen with a frown.

Lily gave her friend's hand a final squeeze before they broke the contact, and Owen took a step closer towards the chair awaiting him.

" Owen's at 95%," Martha announced.

Owen nodded in acceptance, " Then let's not waste any time saying goodbye. Let's just do it. "

Soon, Owen was sitting down, strapped into the chair, and the first injection was about to take place. As Martha reached for the needle on the tray, the resurrection glove was suddenly sitting there, and moved when Martha tried to touch the needle, startling everyone

Martha tried to get to the needle again, but the glove wasn't letting her anywhere near.

" I don't think I like where this is going," Jack said.

Lily shook her head as Martha tried to go for the needle again, and was about to argue that Martha should lave them alone, when the glove flew off the tray and straight towards Martha. Martha screamed and fell backwards onto the floor as she grabbed the glove and struggled with it, to keep it off her face.

Owen was struggling to get from his restraints, and Jack hurried to help Martha get the glove away from her, while everyone else was on awares, looking around.

Jack suceeded in yanking the glove away from Martha's face, and he ripped it away and hurled it to the other end of the room, where it hit the floor and then started crawling back towards Martha. Martha ran from the room, and Lily tried to standing in front of the glove's path, but Jack grabbed her roughly and pushed her out of the way as the glove flew for her.

Lily stumbled as she grabbed hold of the autopsty table for support. The others started to spread out to where Martha was, while Owen was still strapped in.

Jack yelled at Owen not to move, and everyone was fearing for what could happen next.

" Where is it? " Lily asked desperately, looking around.

Tosh pointed to a cabinet, " I thnk it might have gone over there," she said.

Jack touched Martha's arm gently and asked if she was alright, to which she responded that she was, though everyone was still worried about her, but increasingly worried as they couldn't see the glove anywhere.

In the silence, a sudden metal clinking was evident, and Lily's head whipped around as she tried to look for the glove, though she still couldn't see it. Everyone was very quiet and still as Gwen pointed out the glove and they watched it. Martha made the first move, peering over the edge of the railings.

This proved to be a huge mistake as the glove suddenly jumped up and clamped onto her face, leaving her screaming out desperately, as she fell backwards. Lily darted up the stairs, to where Gwen and Tosh were already kneeling beside Martha.

Lily joined them, holding Martha down, worried, as she tried to hold her as she struggled against the glove. Jack leant over Martha and tried to pry the glove away, but it was much stronger than him.

" Do something," Lily hissed as Jack looked at her, helplessly.

Jack nodded and using all the strength he could find, he tore the glove from Martha's face and struggled with it before throwing it it across the room, where it landed on the tray of supplies and twitched.

The glove jumped to the ground at the same time that Owen got free from the chair, and and he pinned the glove to the floor with his foot.

" You've got to destroy it," Lily said, frowning.

" Gun! " Owen said, holding out his hand.

Jack was knelt over Martha, but everyone else was turned towards Owen and the glove. Jack hesitated about shooting it, but when Lily held out her hand for his gun and nodded at him, he accepted it, and allowed her to take it from his waistband. Lily tossed the gun to Owen, who caught it and shot the glove.

Lily nodded in relief when the glove exploded in a flash of white light.

" Oh my God," Gwen muttered.

Lily turned to see Martha huddled on the floor, her hands at her face. " Martha? " Lily asked, kneeling beside her, " Martha? "

" What's happened? " Gwen asked.

" Artificial ageing," Lily supplied, looking at Martha in horror - she'd been made to look very old, and was now weary and frail, and it reminded Lily of when the Master had done a similar thing to the Doctor.

" Caused by the glove," Jack added, before turning to face Owen, " Owen, come and help me with her. " When Owen didn't answer, Jack snapped, " Owen! "

" Um ... Jack? " Ianto said, nodding in Owen's direction.

Everyone followed his direction and the only sound in the room was the monitor beeping. Owen dropped the gun as he turned around to face then - the scan was up at 100%. Lily's eyes widened as she realised something very bad was about to happen, and they had too many problems to deal with.

Owen's eyes turned to the strange pools of darkness, and Lily stepped down a few of the stairs, though everyone else was backing away.

In a distorted voice that wasn't his own, Owen said , and Lily knew it was Death talking from inside Owen, " I will walk the Earth and my huger will know no bounds. "

That was followed by Owen gasping for breath and letting out a scream as he threw his head back and a thick black gas escaped from his mouth. Lily stared as it rose up, growing bigger and bigger in a shapeless form.

" Everyone ... get ... back," Lily said quietly, looking over her shoulder at everyone else, since they had no idea what was going to happen. The gas started forwards and moved to the team, it was heading for the centre of them, and Lily threw her arms out, trying to cover everyone.

The black gas of Death shot forwards and Lily braced herself as it hit her. She gasped sharply and felt her knees almost give way as it surged through her. She staggered forwards and put a hand on the railings as she started to feel weak - she didn't know what it would do to humans, but she was sure she could handle it.

She could hear Jack's voice behind her, but she couldn't really make it out, and her eyes started to close as she knelt down on the floor, trying to push the gas away.

Lily had strong mental barriers, but this thing was even stronger, and she gave way.

The next thing she knew, her eyes opened slowly, and she was strapped into the SUV, slumped in her seat. She frowned and sat up, to find that only she and Jack were there.

" Are you alright? "

" What the hell happened? " Lily said, shaking her head as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

" You passed out," Jack told her, " and we're at the hospital now - we thought we'd best bring Martha in. Owen's stable, but I'm not sure he's safe. "

" And the thing? " Lily asked, frowning, " the ... Death? "

Jack shook his head, " It's gone. It's out there somewhere. "

" Just what we need," Lily sighed as she threw open the car door and the pair of tem started towards the hospital. They strode down the corridors until they found Martha lying on a bed in one of the cubicles, the rest of the team gathered around her.

Martha was examining her face in a small compact mirror, shaking her head.

" How do you know her? " asked the doctor who'd walked in with them, " I take it you're not all family. "

" Neighbours," Lily lied, drawing everyone's attention to her, as her collegues gave her smiles.

" We look in on her," Gwen added, " do her shopping, collect her pension, that sort of thing, you know? "

The doctor looked skeptical and she asked, " What, all six of you are the next door neighbours? "

Jack shrugged, " We live in a very big house and we all get on well Now, how is she? "

The doctor hesitated before replying, " Her red blood cell count is through the floor, and she's massively dehydrated, which has placed considerable strain on her heart. "

" You've got to help her," Lily said, worried about her friend and not sure what she could do herself.

" We are," the woman said, clutching her clipboard to her chest, " but you've all got to accept - she's what, 80? "

" Just do what you can," Jack said, before the doctor left. When she was gone, Lily sighed and went to sit with beside Martha, trying to comfort her.

" It'll be alright," she said, " we've gotten through all sorts, yeah? You can fight this. I promise we'll fix it. "

Martha sighed, " It must be Death," she said weakly, " because it's taken my life. "

" We _will _reverse this," promised Jack before looking at Lily, " Baby? The last time, when Cardiff was a town. It killed 12 people - why didn't it get to 13? "

" I don't know," Lily told him, rolling her eyes, " we've been through this. All we know is "faith". "

Jack nodded and then looked at Ianto, " We need answers," he said, " I don't care how you get them - google it if you have to. "

" I'm on to it," Ianto said, leaving the cubicle.

" Owen, back at the hub," Jack ordered, " you're not safe. "

" I'm fine," Owen argued back, " whatever it was, I'm free of it, I promise you. I'm useful here. When it came through me, I felt it, and I know what it wants - it's hungry. "

Owen moved over to the window, and Lily watched him carefully. There was a silence as no-one knew quite what to do, and Lily had just taken her eyes away from the window, when Gwen asked, " Where do we go to look for it? "

Lily put her hands on her hips, " Let's think about it," she said, " if you were Death, and you needed souls, where would you target? Old people's homes? "

" The hospital," Owen said, noticing some of the black gas outside the window.

" Right now? " asked Gwen, " but why would it follow us? "

" The near dead," Jack said, " perfect place for Death to feed on. "

Lily immediately yanked the curtain back, and she, Jack, Tosh, Owen and Gwen left Martha's cubicle, walking down the corridor. Lily told Jack he needed to make sure everyone get out, but he was already on to it.

" This is Captain Jack Harkness," he said briskly, " Torchwood. You need to evacuate St Helen's hospital immediately. "

Lily smiled a little - she loved the way Jack's voice got so authoritive sometimes, and she loved that he was so strong and in charge. When he said something, people just did it.

Lily tore her eyes from Jack, when she noticed he was looking at her, and she looked at the people gathered in reception, " Ladies and gentlemen! " she called, " lovely to meet you all. I just need to ask you one thing - would you all mind getting out of the hospital right now? Thank you very much - emergency, you understand. "

She continued walking away and Jack started giving orders to the team, ordering Tosh, Owen and Gwen to search half the hospital, while he and Lily took the other half.

As they ran up the stairs, Jack touched his ear pice and shouted, " Ianto? I need information! "

" I'm hearing of multiple code four's in intensive care," he said.

" What floor is that? " asked Jack.

" Sixth," Ianto said.

Jack thanked him and ended the communication, and then hooked his hand under Lily's arm, steering her towards the staircase, where they continued to run, " What's a code four? " he asked Lily.

" Heart attack," she said instantly.

" We need to do a body count," Jack said, " and pray it doesn't reach twelve. "

Lily threw open the door to intensive care and grimaced when she looked around the room to see several still bodies lying the beds, monitors flatlining all around the room.

Lily sighed desperately and looked around the room, realising that everyone in the room was dead. As she passed an elderly woman with the skin barely stretched over her bones, she touched her comm, " Owen, Tosh, Gwen, there's fatalities on floor six. Six of them. "

" And I'm hearing of a death during a routine operation," Tosh replied.

"Then that's seven," Lily said, glancing at Jack, who was watching her carefully, " six until we get to 13. Only six to go. "

Jack looked at Lily with a serious expression, and she knew he was thinking something she wouldn't like, " Oh," he said with realization.

" What? " Lily asked.

Jack frowned, " Baby, there's six of _us. "_

" Oh," Lily said, frowning, " not good. "

" Jack, Lily, it was last seen on the 6th floor," Owen's voice came through the comms, " so did it go up or down from there? "

" If it's still hungry, and most of the upper floors are evacuated, then I suppose it's going down. "

" We're on eight," Owen replied, " we'll make our way down. "

" And Jack? " Tosh called, " we still have no idea what to do if we find it. "

Jack looked at Lily, who shook her head, and then he called for Ianto, needing to know what the welshman had found out. Ianto's reply was, " I've searched for the phrase "I shall walk the Earth and my hunger will know no bounds" but I just keeping getting directed to Weight Watchers. Lily, any idea where we could find out more? "

Lily paused and then answered, " I first heard it as a legend, but as far as I know, it's in a medical journal - the History of Medicine. Try looking under Tavistock or Welkin. "

" Got you," Ianto said.

Lily ended the connection, and walked through the door that Jack was holding open for her. The pair of them strolled down the corridor, only focusing on the work, since there was no time for anything personal, however much Jack might want to grab his girlfriend and hug her rather than search for Death.

Lily's earpiece buzzed again, and she pressed a hand to it, listening to it before looking at Jack, not happy. " I'm getting reports of 12 people dead. Legend says when Death took 13 people, it would be unstoppable, and roam the earth forever. It only needs to kill one more. "

" Then we're running out of time," Jack said, touching his comm too, " Ianto, anything? "

" Yeah," he said, " back in 1479, the priest discovered that Death needed 13 souls to wander the Earth for eternity. He stopped Death at 12, and it was Faith. "

" I know! " Jack replied angrily, making Lily roll her eyes at him.

" No," Ianto said, trying to make him listen, " the little girl who was brought back to life - her name was Faith. She stopped it, but it doesn't say how. "

Lily frowned as she tried to think about it, and she soon came to a conclusion - she had no idea if they should do it, but she could think of no other way to defeat Death. " Come on," she said, turning towards the stairs, " If Owen heard that, then he's probably going to do exactly what I'm thinking of. "

" What's going on? " asked Jack, following after her quickly.

Lily looked over her shoulder as she said, " Faith had nothing to lose, right? She was already dead. Just like Owen. So she let Death consume her. "

" You think Owen'll do that? " Jack asked, " but then what will happen to him? "

" I don't know, Jack! " Lily replied with a sigh, " all I know is, Owen said he was ready to go, and I really think he might do this. We need to get down there. "

Once they were there, they saw Owen on the ground floor, alone, with Death. Tosh and Gwen were outside, locked out presumably by Owen, as they pounded on the glass, and everyone else had been evacuated.

As they slowed down and slowly approached Owen and Death, Lily saw Death reach a bony hand towards Owen and grab him. The two figures began to struggle with each other, and Owen grabbed on to Death, refusing to let go, taunting him, and keeping hold firmly.

Lily watched with anticipation, nodding, pleased as she saw Death beginning to wither away, the black smog disappearing. It lingered for a moment, but then it disappeared.

Owen fell to his knees, and Lily approached immediately, followed by Jack.

Lily reached down to lay a hand on Owen's shoulder, and after a moment, Owen drew himself up to his feel, leaving Lily to drop her hand from him, offering him a comforting smile.

The door beeped, from where Owen had shut out Gwen and Tosh, and they were now available to come back in. They both ran in, worried for Owen, and hugged him at the same time. A weak Owen could do nothing to protest, and allowed them both to hug him tightly.

Lily smiled when an arm slid around her waist from behind, and she leant her head back against Jack, and relaxed in his arms as he kissed her forehead lovingly.

She let her eyes drift closed as she watched Owen, Gwen and Tosh happily celebrating that Owen was safe, though Lily wasn't sure how long he'd be around for now, she was happy for him to be safe, and for them to carry on.

Her eyes snapped open and she jumped a little when Jack barked, " Ianto? How's the patient? "

" Jesus, Jack," Lily said, rolling her eyes as she pulled away from him, " right in my ear! "

He gave her an apologetic look and stepped away, touching his ear piece. A couple of seconds later, he announced to everyone, " Martha's fine! "

Lily smiled a little and took Jack hand, fitting her fingers perfectly between his, as she headed for the door, " C'mon everyone," she said, " let's go home. "

" Back to the hub, you mean," Owen grumbled, " back to work. "

" No," Lily said with a smile, looking over her shoulder at him, " it's my home. "

They met Ianto and Martha at the SUV and there were more hugs all around, everyone pleased that today had worked out, even if there had been deaths they hadn't managed to prevent.

" So what happens to me now? " Owen asked as they drove back to the hub.

When no-one answered, he looked at Lily, " Spacegirl? You've usually got some answers. "

Lily shrugged, a little smile crossing her face as she looked at him, " I don't know. I ... I honestly just don't know. You've soaked up tons of energy, and it'll fade away, but god knows how long that'll take. You might have another 60 years left in you yet. "

"Or 60 minutes," Owen said, frowning

Lily reached out and poked his arm, " Don't be so pessimistic," she said.

" And do I still have a job? " he asked, looking at the front mirror, to try and catch Jack's eye.

Jack took his eye from the wheel and looked in the mirror, meeting Owen's eye, " That depends. Do you still want the job? I mean ... it's dangerous work ... we don't know what's going on with you. "

" When has danger ever stood in the way before? " Owen asked, shaking his head, " Look, people died because you brought me back. We owe them, you and me. Put me to work, and we'll see if we can set things straight. "

There was a pause, during which everyone looked at Jack, waiting for an answer. Jack smirked, turning around to look at Owen, " Yeah. Of course you've still got a job. "

As Owen sat back, pleased, and Jack turned around to concentrate on driving, Lily smiled to herself - she knew Jack had never thought of not giving Owen his job. She knew him well enough that he wasn't going to sack Owen, and she saw him glancing at her in the mirror, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

When she met his eye, he winked at her.

She smiled.


	12. A Day in Death

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Twelve

Three days later, Lily was lying in bed, curled up against Jack in the way that she loved. Jack absent mindedly played with her hair, while she drew light patterns on his bare chest with her fingertips.

She smiled as she snuggled up against him, " I really don't want to get out of bed," she said, " I could just lie here forever. "

Jack laughed - it was a conversation they'd had many times, always with the same result, " I know, baby, but we have work to do. Saving the universe and all that. "

Lily sighed, " Not that I don't love it, but don't you ever get fed up of being the hero? "

Jack looked at her seriously, " Never," he said.

" I should have known," she said, " you just love sweeping in and saving the world. Let me rephrase it then, don't you ever wish we could spend a few more hours in bed? Just ... lying here. This human time goes too quick when you're enjoying it. "

Jack leaned in and kissed her forehead, before pulling her even closer to him than she already was, " It doesn't matter how fast it goes," he said, " we've just got to make the most of it, because we've got ages. "

" Yeah, yeah," Lily said, starting to sit up, " what you really mean it, you're dying to get to work. Sometimes I think you love Torchwood more than you love me. "

Jack rolled his eyes, " Well sometimes I think you love the TARDIS more than you love me. You were only saying last night how much you miss it. You haven't seen your dad in weeks, and you're dying to get back out there into space. "

" Only for a teeny tiny little trip," Lily told her, climbing over him to get out of the bed, and stumbling a little as she did so. It was true that she missed travelling, but she hadn't been in a while, so she decided that she was going to call her dad later, to see if he was free. When she heard Jack laugh at her, she turned around to stick her tounge out at him.

As she grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, she heard Jack clear his throat from the other side of the door.

" Listen," he said, " there's something I've been meaning to tell you. "

" Yeah? " she called, carefree.

"It's about Owen," he said, sounding uncomfortable.

" What about him? " Lily asked, suspicious of Jack's tone of voice - in the last few days, Owen had seemed fine to her, though Martha remained in the hub to help him with his duties.

" I think we need to lay him off for a little bit," he said.

Lily yanked open the door, " What? " she demanded, looking at him as she stepped back into the bedroom. " Tell me I heard that wrong. "

Jack met her eyes and refused to back down, growing in confidence, " It's something I've been thinking about over the last couple of days, and I've made the decision. Owen will be relieved of his duties while we run some tests on him and make sure he's fit to work. In the meantime Martha will fill in as medical officer for Torchwood. "

Lily put her hands on her hips, sighing exasperatedly, " Oh Jack, you can't just do that to him. Owen works so hard, and he really wants this. It's not his fault that he's dead. "

" I'm sorry," Jack said, " but this is how things are. Owen's dead, and he needs looking over. We need to know he's completely safe before we can let him work. "

" So you're firing him? " Lily asked, angrily.

Jack sighed, " Look, I get it, you're concerned for Owen. He's your friend. But right now, you can't think of him as Owen. It's just a few tests, and then we'll see what happens. I don't want to fall out about this. "

Lily nodded, keeping her emotions in check, " I don't want to fall out either. I just don't think this is the right decision. "

" But I do," Jack said, " and it's my call. "

Lily looked at him for a moment and then accepted that she couldn't change his mind, and walked past him, towards the door. " I'd better get to work," she said.

As she passed him, Jack reached out and caught hold of her arm lightly, pulling her back towards him. There, he cupped her cheek with one hand and planted a soft kiss on her lips. " Don't be mad at me," he said.

She couldn't help but smile at him, and she loved the way that he didn't want to fall out, because she didn't want to either. " I'm not mad at you," she said as she got on her toes and planted another kiss on his lips, before turning to the door again.

Upstairs, she went staight for the kitchen, and looked in the fridge for something to eat. She pulled out a yoghurt and then grabbed a spoon, sitting on the worktop as she opened it.

She had a spoonfu of strawberry yoghurt in her mouth when the door opened, and Ianto walked in. Lily nodded her head at him, noting the smile on his face.

" Drink? " he asked, heading for the coffee machine.

" Ooh, go on then," she said, watching him get the mugs out, working away with a smile. " You're in a good mood," she told him, a playful smile crossing her face.

He shrugged, looking down.

Lily continued to smile, teasing him, " You're not blushing are you? Why are you in such a good mood? Oh ... was it your date last night? It was, wasn't it? "

Ianto nodded, " Yeah. Yeah, it was. "

" And? " Lily asked, swinging her legs as she threw the empty yoghurt pot in the bin, where it landed perfectly.

" You know," Ianto said, turning to look at her, " my parents brought me up not to pry in other people's business. "

Lily knew he wasn't bein malicious from the look on his face, which was threatening to turn into a smile, " Did they? Well, you should meet _my _dad - he's not like that. One of the nosiest people you could meet. Though he doesn't call it nosy, of course, he calls it curious. So I'm curious. Tell me about your date. "

Ianto went back to making the coffee, not looking at her as he answered, " I met Cate at HQ in town, we had a couple of drinks and we had a chat, I walked her home and we swapped numbers. "

So you think you'll see her again? " Lily asked, interested.

Ianto raised his eyebrows, " Why the interest? " he asked.

She shrugged, " Why not? I can't help being incredibly nosy - they're my dad's genes. I like to take an interest in my collegues - I've got Jack, Gwen's getting married in a couple of weeks - which I'm suprised I got invited to, to be honest - and Owen and Tosh need to get together. That leaves you. I think you deserve someone. "

Ianto shrugged, " I don't know. All I know is, I quite like Cate, and I'm hoping to see her again. "

Lily nodded, swinging her legs one final time before getting off the worktop and heading for the door. " Good for you," she said as she passed him.

She stopped at the door and turned around to face him, " So when can I tell Jack to expect a double date? " she asked him with that same playful smile.

Ianto looked stunned.

Lily laughed, " Relax, it was a joke. I wouldn't spring Jack on any unsuspecting girl. I think he might frighten the hell out of her, if she's sane. "

Ianto looked at her calmly, " You're saying that any sane girl would be scared by Jack's personality. What does that say about you? "

Lily grinned, " If there's one very important thing you should remember about me, it's that I am very much not sane. "

With that, she was gone, and Ianto shook his head, amused. Lily crossed the hub and sat at her desk, looking at an empty sheet of paper, knowing she had a report to write.

Before she could start it, she glanced up to see Martha standing there.

She smiled at her friend, " Hey," she said, " take a seat. Things have been crazy around here - hasn't really been much chance to talk. "

Martha smiled, grabbed a chair from Tosh's desk - as Tosh was in the medical bay, and swinging it around to sit near Lily, " Aren't things always crazy? " Martha asked, " it feels like all we ever do is run around, chase aliens, save the world, and then do it all over again. "

" That's because that's what we _do _do," Lily said, " but we both know we wouldn't have it any other way. " After a pause, she added, " so what about my dad - how much do you miss him? Or ... it? The whole time and space travelling with a madman? "

Martha sighed, " Honestly? " she asked, " I miss it sometimes, but then I think about what I've got here, with Tom, and then it goes away. Can't say I wouldn't mind the odd trip into space every now and then. "

Lily nodded, " I know, I know. I love my life here, with Torchwood, and my new friends, and Jack, but I miss it. All the different planets, and countries, and time periods. And my dad. "

Martha smiled at her, " I bet your dad misses you too. He dotes on you - Daddy's little girl. "

Lily shrugged, " I'm going to call him later. Maybe he'll call by and take me off somewhere. That's all it takes, you know - a quick trip to satisfy the itch. "

Sighing and looking across the hub, she saw Jack standing at the office door, looking expectantly at her. She excused herself from Martha and went over to Jack.

" Can I help you? " she asked, propping herself up against the door way.

Jack frowned a little, " I'm going to talk to Owen. "

Lily frowned a little, " And what have I got to do with it? " When Jack looked at her, she rolled her eyes, understanding what he wanted, " Oh, no Jack," she sighed, " don't do that to me. "

He pouted, " Aw c'mon. All you've got to do is stand there, so if Owen kicks off, you can make him shut up. Not that I think he will, but I need some moral support. "

" Moral support," Lily scoffed, trailing one hand along his chest as she passed him to go into the office. She winced when Jack barked Owen's name to make him come into the office.

Jack settled behind his desk, and Lily stood near the door. When Owen walked in, he frowned in confusion at the precense of the pair of them there, and looked from one to the other, before settling on Lily.

" Look," he said, holding his hands up, " I know I'm an attractive bloke, and I've seen you giving me the eye, but I'm really not interested in your kinky threesomes. If it was just you, sweetheart, then we might have a deal."

" Owen! " Lily said, rolling her eyes, " we didn't ask you in here for that. "

Jack cleared his throat, drawing all attention to himself and then leant forwards, clasping his hand together, " I'm sorry things have to be this way," he said, making Lily hate was about to happen to her friend. After a pause during which he gathered himself together, he announced, " Dr Owen Harper, Torchwood Officer 565, I'm relieving you of your duties. "

Owen immediatley reacted as badly as Lily suspected he would, and he groaned, " Bollocks! " he shouted, " Jack, this is bollocks! "

" Hand in your weapon and your security pass," Jack said simply.

" But why? " Owen demanded, " I'm fine. "

Lily felt sorry for him but remained quiet as Jack told him, " Three days ago, you died. We need to examine you. We need to find out what you are - we don't even know if you're human. We need to be certain you're okay. "

" It almost sounds as if you care," Owen said flatly.

" Until I'm confident you're fit for duty, Martha Jones will replace you as Torchwood's new medical officer," Jack said. He stood up, " She's worked out a series of tests and examinations. "

Lily frowned a little, at the way Jack had got it so worked out - for Martha to have all the tests ready, he must have told her at least a day or two ago, which meant he'd kept it secret for that long. Normally, Lily herself could have sorted out the appropriate scans and tests.

" And what if I refuse? " asked Owen defiantley.

" Don't," Lily said gently.

Jack took a sterner approach, " You'll be confined to the cells," he said, " the tests will be done, and if the results show that you're a danger to the team, appropriate tests will be done. "

Owen didn't look pleased, and Lily took a step closer to him, trying to sound as comforting as she could, " Please Owen, we're asking you, not telling you. Let us make sure you're safe, at least. "

Owen frowned, " Lily, you don't think I'm dangerous," he said.

Lily didn't meet his eyes, knowing that he was right, and she answered, " We need to check, nonetheless. "

" So I'm gonna need your gun," said Jack.

Owen glared at him, and Lily felt very guilty as Owen pulled his gun from one pocket and held it out to her, along with his security pass. It was an awkward moment as he held it out, and she met his eyes apologetically as she took the gun and security pass from him.

Owen nodded and looked over at Jack, " How long are Dr Jones' tests going to take? "

" As long as they need to," Jack replied cooly.

" And what the hell am I supposed to do in the meantime? " Owen demanded.

" We always need someone to make the coffee," said Jack simply.

Owen frowned, not liking the sound of that at all, and declined at once. There was a long pause, before Jack raised his eyebrows, and Owen stormed out of the room with a glare set on his face. When he was gone, Lily let out a sigh.

" That was awful," she said, still feeling guilty, even though it wasn't her decision to fire him, but she still couldn't help but feel that if she'd moved faster, she might have been able to stop him from dying in the first place.

" I know," Jack said, trying to be comforting because he knew how much Lily felt for Owen, as her friend, " but all being well, he can have his job back soon. " After a pause, he added, " never mind Owen. How about a smile? "

Lily shrugged.

Jack pouted a little - it was a pout that was just enough to make her laugh and do as he wanted, but not too much that it looked ridiculous." Oh come on," he said with a teasing tone of voice, " I'll start to think you prefer Owen to me at this rate. "

" Now that you mention it, Owen is rather good-looking," Lily said, as if she'd only just thought about it, " I wonder what he's doing this weekend. "

Jack shrugged, knowing that he could play it just the same as she could, " And come to think of it, Tosh is rather pretty. I mean, I know she's pining after Owen, but I could soon rectify that. Any idea what she's doing this weekend? "

Lily shrugged too, " Okay, I get it. Anything I can do, you can do better. "

" Not everything, I suppose," Jack said, as a suggestive smile crossed his face.

She relented and gave him her most winning smile, to which he grinned in return, " That's my girl," he said, reaching out to open the office door for her.

She stopped at the door and reached up on her toes, wishing not for the first time, that she could be a few inches taller, to be rid of the need to stretch up. She planted a kiss on his smooth cheek and then headed back to her desk, fully aware that he was watching her walk away. She turned and looked over her shoulder at him, offering him a smile and then looking away.

She was leant over her desk, head down as she scribbled away at her paperwork an hour or so later, when she smelt her favourite coffee with sprinkles over the top.

She looked up, ready to thank Ianto, and her smile faltered when she saw Owen standing there. She thanked him quietly, though it felt wrong and awkward.

He watched her take a sip and then said flatly, " I suppose you're officially second-in-command now, are you? " he asked, " I mean, deciding who gets hired and fired ... "

The team accepted Lily's authority, and it came naturally that she should be in control. She was just as capable of leading the team as Jack was, though she didn't step on his toes, and left him in charge, since Torchwood had been his for so many years. However, there was never a point where either she or Jack decided she was his number two, it just became accepted anyway.

Lily shook her head, " Look, it wasn't like that. I didnt even know until this morning - he just sprung it on me this morning, and it wasn't my place to argue. He's in charge. "

" Rubbish," Owen said, trying not to get angry as he stopped himself from swearing, " he'd do almost anything you asked him. If you'd pushed it enough, and fought my corner enough, he'd have let me keep my job. "

" No," Lily said, standing up, " don't you pin this on me. "

Owen seemed taken aback by her sudden movement, but he kept looking at her cooly. They kept looking at each other, and Lily finally broke the silence, " Listen to me," she told him, her emotions beginning to get the better of her, " I already feel guilty enough for your death, and I will always feel that way. So yeah, as much as I don't want to think about it, maybe it is my fault that you lost your job, because it could be my fault that you died. I just don't need reminding of that. It's done now, so all you've got to do, is let Martha do the damn tests, so we can check and you and then put you back to work. Happy now? "

Owen was even more taken aback by this, and he kept looking at her, breaking the gaze to glance at the floor, " It's not your fault," he said when he could meet her eyes again, " yeah, you could have jumped in front of me if you'd been a tiny bit quicker, but you couldn't have stopped him firing, and you know it. I'm sorry I snapped at you. "

Lily smirked a little, " Wait, did you actually just apologise to me? "

" So we're alright? " Owen asked, " I'm sorry for getting so mad at you. "

" No," Lily said, " it's got to be hard for you. It's ... it's understandable. But you'll get through this. You're not going to let a little thing like death get in your way, are you? "

Owen said nothing, smiling at her briefly before walking away.

Lily was only just saw down again when she looked up to see Jack crossing the hub, heading towards the conference room. "C'mon," he said, stopping by her desk and holding out his hand.

She held her hand out too and he took it, pulling her to her feet with that smile, and walking towards the conference room. At the door he turned back and shouted for the others to join them, making Lily slap his arm as he shouted right by her ear.

They were all seated around the table when Jack stood up to adress them. " Henry John Parker," he said, putting up a picture of the man on the monitor, " he used to be a looker. Now he's 80-odd, and even I have my limits. "

" You'd better bloody do," Lily muttered under her breath.

They'd each met Parker a couple of times when he found bits of alien equipment, and each time it amounted to nothing, and there was very little trouble, as they confiscated the item in question.

The door opened, and Owen walked in with a tray of drinks, making his way around the room as Jack continued, " He's your basic millionaire collector of alien junk. "

Lily tutted, " Not junk, Jack," she said, " junk is a naughty work. I'd prefer to think of it as space debris. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff you'd find that could be dismissed at junk - dad used to have loads of it in his workshop. And Jack's got a right collection in the office. Once, I found something that looked like some sort of weird se-"

" Thank you baby," Jack said cutting her off quickly.

Owen cleared his throat, " Didn't we file that bloke in the mostly harmless category? "

" Then what's the problem? " asked Lily, looking at Jack, ready for answers, " I seem to miss out on all the fun stuff when I get landed the paperwork. "

Tosh answered, " at 5:17 this morning, an energy spike was detected at Mr Parker's house. I've never seen anything like it before. "

" So what's he gone and done this time? " Lily asked, " should we get down there and check it out? "

" Do you think he's a threat? " Martha asked.

" Hasn't been in the past," Gwen said, waving a dismissive hand, as Owen wiped away a bit of tea he'd split on the table, " we know he's there, but he's no harm. He hasn't let the house much since his wife died - 1986. "

Owen suddenly took a seat around the table, and it felt a bit awkward since he wasn't supposed to be there. " We've been monitoring him for ages," he said, " there's nothing to be scared of. "

Lily took over again, " So," she said, glancing at Jack, who sat back and allowed her to take over, " alien energy pulse. Obviously we've got to check this out. Ianto, Gwen, let's have an inventory of everything Parker's picked up over the last several years - get a bit of backgroud. Martha, medical history please. And Tosh, can we have a schematic of the house? "

Everyone nodded, and started to get to work, leaving Owen sat at the table.

" Hey Gwen! " shouted Jack as the woman left the room, " how's the wedding planning going? "

" All sorted," said Gwen, before wincing, " other than Banana Boat. Arrested in Lanzarote, can you believe it? "

Lily smirked a little, but said nothing, and as Ianto handed her the first sheet of the inventory, for her to look through, she nodded and went to sit at her desk.

" You know, it suits you to be in charge," Jack said with a grin, " almost as much as it does me. "

Lily shrugged, " Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but I _am _planning to take over when you're not looking. "

Jack shrugged too, " To be expected, I suppose," he said, before heading for his office. Lily smiled as she watched him walk away, and then shook herself to try and focus on the work.

Tosh and Gwen were chatting idly about Gwen's wedding, and Lily had very little interest in it - Gwen wasn't particularly a friend, and although they got on for the sake of the work, she had no strong desire to attend the wedding. Even if she thought it might be fun to attend a human wedding.

She looked up, however, when she heard her name.

" You and Jack will be there, won't you? " Gwen asked.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " I didn't realise we were invited. "

" Of course you are," Gwen said, " you lot are the only people I see day in and day out. I asked Jack, but he wasn't sure. "

Lily shrugged, " You know Jack - likes to play mysterious, doesn't like to decide on his plans until 2 minutes before we need to go somewhere. Jack and you get on very well anyway, so I'm sure he'll go. And by extension, I'll come if everyone else is going. "

Gwen supressed a roll of her eyes, " Glad you're so pleased about it," she said.

Lily didn't retaliate, and instead said, " I'll have to get a dress or something. It's only ... what, two weeks away? "

Gwen nodded and went back to telling Tosh all the details about her dress and the seating plan, though Tosh didn't look particularly interested. Lily was poring over the papers when she saw Owen leave the hub, and though she frowned, she said nothing, knowing it might be best to leave him - he could handle himself.

An hour or so later, Tosh asked Jack if she could take a break, and he agreed. Lily watched her leave curiously, wondering if she'd be going after Owen, and thinking it very likely.

She went over to Jack's office and as usual, walked in without knocking, finding him busy with paperwork, as usual.

" What's going on around here? " she asked him.

He looked up, knowing there was very little he could ever keep from her, and he told her, " Owen asked me if he could make himself useful, so I told him the best thing for him to do was to relax and chill out. When he asked if he was allowed to go home, I just said yeah. Then Tosh asked for a break, and since she was in quite early this morning, it only seemed fair. "

" Do you think she's going after Owen? " asked Lily.

Jack shrugged, " I don't know, but I think if she was, she'd be more likely to tell you than me. Don't girls tell each other everything? "

" Some things," Lily said with a nod, before sighing, " I hope she knows what she's getting herself into. I mean, I want them to get together, but you know what Owen's like. He's hardly the Prince Charming she's looking for. Especially now ... " she stopped and looked at him, " sorry kitten - I suppose you're not really interested in this. "

Jack gave her a smile, " I'm always interested when you're talking," he said, " especially when you start calling me lovely names. I just think you should try not to get so involved. I know you care about them, but you can't just in there every time someone's got a problem. You're not their keeper. "

Lily smiled a little, " I know, I know. " Something occured to her and she told him, " But I don't even know your real name. I mean, there's nothing wrong with Jack, and I know it's your name now, but I don't know what your name was before. "

Jack looked at her, and the moment was now completely serious, " And I don't know yours," he said, " Odd, isn't it? We must know each other inside out, but we don't even know each others names. "

" And that's usually the first thing people learn," Lily pondered, frowning.

They each continued to look each other, and it was now a very poigiant moment between them. Jack didn't look away as he asked, " Shall I tell you? "

Lily replied, " Yes. "

" Then that's settled," Jack said. " Thank you for helping me decide what story to tell you tonight. On the condition that you tell me yours, of course. "

Lily nodded - it was serious for a time lord to impart their real name, and it meant a huge step for the pair of them. Since shortly after meeting him, she'd been convinced he was the one for her, and she was reminded of this constantly.

" See you around, kitten," she said, turning towards the door.

" Yeah," Jack said distractedly as he went back to his paperwork, " in a bit, baby. "

Half an hour later, Tosh came into the hub in a rather bad mood, sitting down heavily and tossing her handbag on the floor. She looked like she'd been crying, and Lily frowned.

" What happened? " she asked gently.

" Owen," she said with a sniff.

Lily frowned at once - she got on very well with both Owen and Tosh, but couldn't accept the idea of Owen making her friend cry. She pulled out her mobile and walked away from her desk, going into the kitchen and shutting the door behind her

When Owen picked up, having seen her name on the screen, he didn't say hello, instead just groaned, " First Tosh, now you. What was the point in coming home? "

" What have you said to Tosh? " she demanded.

" Nothing," Owen said.

" What have you said to Tosh? " she repeated, more forcefully this time.

She heard him sigh, " Not much then," he said.

" Owen, she's a right state," Lily said, turning to look out of the kitchen window at the main hub, where Ianto and Jack were standing together in front of the CCTV that overlooked the hub.

" Fine," he said, snapping a little, " if you're that bothered - yeah, I told her I knew she wanted me, and I thought it was pathetic. Yeah, I said I know she wants me because I'm dead and safe, and I can't go out and shag other girls anymore. Yeah, I told her I was as screwed up as her. Yeah, I made her see me broken - I broke my fingers in front of her. And yes, I threw her out. There you go. "

" Owen! " she snapped, " that's ... how could you? You could at least show her a bit of sensitivity. I know you're struggling with this, but - "

" Struggling? " Owen repeated, " yeah, but do you really know how much I'm struggling? "

With that, the phone went dead, as he ended the call and she was left looking at the blank mobile. She didn't like the way he'd sounded, and she sighed, going into the main hub again.

She picked up the phone again, muttering, " Owen," under her breath as she waited for him to pick up, though nothing happened.

" Lily," Jack called from the monitors, " you were just talking to Owen? You just called him? "

Lily sighed, " Jack, I know you said I shouldn't get so involved, but I can't help it. I - "

" No, come and look at this," he said, pointing towards the screen

She moved forwards to see that Owen was walking around the bay, looking agitated. Then suddenly, he started running. He ran right down the pier, as fast as he could, and then launched himself off it. He landed in the water with a splash, and he kept himself down.

There was no sign of him, and although Lily wasn't worried about his well being - he was dead, he'd hardly drown - she was worried about his state of mind, because he seemed all over the place.

A few minutes later, Ianto raised his eyebrows, " Still there. Impressive. "

Jack folded his arms, and before Lily could ask what they were going to do, he answered as if he knew what she was thinking. " Leave him," he said, " I'm curious to find out what he's going to do next. He's going to have to accept this at some point. "

Lily shrugged and watched the screen for another moment, but there was no further sign of Owen, and she went back to her desk focusing on the Parker thing.

Half an hour later, Jack decided that he was going out there, and left the others to work on putting together enough information on Parker. When Jack came back, Owen was with him, sopping wet and not looking too pleased.

Owen met her eyes as he walked past her desk, and felt embarrassed at the way he'd argued with her about Tosh, and the way he treat Tosh. He looked like he was about to say something, but Lily felt sorry for him and lifted a hand.

" Don't worry about it," she said, standing up, " I'll go find you a towel and you can get yourself sorted out. "

She went into Jack's office and lifted the manhole cover, starting down the ladder to their bedroom and bathroom. She returned with a towel for Owen and tossed it at him, as Jack called for everyone to come into the boardroom.

Once they were all there, Jack looked at Lily, " Do you want to take this? "

Lily raised her eyebrows at him, " You're giving me control? Are you feeling alright? "

Jack just rolled his eyes at her and Lily turned to Ianto, " What have we got? "

Ianto nodded," I've identified a few things he's collected over the last year. We've got a Dogon Eye, a pair of Mykian wings, some meteorites. Some stuff I couldn't identify, but you'd probably know it. An Arcateenian translation of some book. And things that are definitley new. And the energy spikes are getting bigger and more dangerous. "

" We need to get in there," Lily said, glancing at Jack, who nodded.

Tosh started, " I've got a plan of the place. Mr Parker employs a man to run security. There's CCTV everywhere, at least 6 guards, which we could get around, but then there's heat sensors. "

" As in body heat? " Martha asked.

" Yep," Tosh confirmed, " one on every window and every door. "

Lily frowned, " Then we need someone with no body heat. " Her eyes settled on Owen, and one of her manic grins, which only happened when a plan was formulating, crossed her face, " we need a dead man. D'you fancy it? "

Owen didn't answer.

Lily could see no other idea, and she grinned, " Oh c'mon. What have you got to lose? "

Owen looked interested in getting to work again, and all eyes were on Jack. Jack looked at him for a long moment, measuring him up, and then he nodded wordlessly, and Owen nodded back.

It was night by now, and they were all getting ready for the operation.

Jack pulled on his coat and looked around at everyone, " Martha, come to Parker's house with me and Owen. Lily, would you stay here please with everyone else? We'll be in touch on the comms. We need to monitor this. "

Lily nodded, " Just go. We'll be fine. "

Lily, Ianto, Tosh and Gwen waited by the computers in the hub. There was very little conversation from any of them, and no-one knew quite what to say as they were all waiting for some work to do.

When it started, they were watching what was going on through a monitor, and saw Owen move towards the gates, where there were two guards.

" Yeah, talk to him," Lily said, nodding at Tosh.

" Owen? " asked Tosh," the power in the house is supplied from one private generator. There's a back-up unit, but if you take the main one down, you've got one minute twenty of blackout time. "

" Got you," Owen ssid over the comms, " could you take out one of the security blokes? Maybe the big one? "

" Make a phone call," Lily said, as Ianto looked up their profiles and numbers, " I don't care what you say - just get them out of there. Gwen - you're good at this sort of thing. "

Gwen nodded in confirmation and dialled the number of the first guard they came across, and they needed to do it quickly. She put it on speakerphone, " Hello, Mr Taylor? "

Lily could imagine Owen's annoyance that they had taken out the smaller guard rather than the larger.

She felt a little guilty about the way Gwen lied to this man and told him that his wife was in a minor accident and was in hospital asking for him. She knew that she would never have gone along with this before Torchwood, when she'd lived on the strict morals of her dad. Since then, she knew her morals had loosened a bit, and she allowed things to happen even if she didn't like it.

Owen was making his way through the house, towards the electrical box. They watched carefully and in a few swift movements, he had taken out the box and all the electric in the house.

" Good," Lily said, touching her comm, " you've got one minute twenty until the back up generator comes on. You need to get to Mr Parker's room right away. "

" I'm on it spacegirl," he said.

She watched, a little proud, as Owen ran through the house, taking out a couple of guards on his way, and finally making his way to the bedroom.

Inside Parker's bedroom, Henry Parker was on the bed, seemingly asleep, surrounded by various bits of medical equipment.

" Yes? " Parker asked, making Owen jump, as Lily leaned forwards to listen properly.

" It's ok mate," Owen said, " I'm not going to hurt you - I'm a doctor. "

" You're a very violent doctor," Parker said, " I've been watching you. " Lily tried not to smirk at this as Parker waved towards the monitors in front of him.

" Henry Parker, yeah? " Owen asked.

" You're Torchwood, yes? " asked Parker, " did the American send you? "

Lily couldn't help but wish that the american was with her right then, his arms around her, whispering in her ear or playing with her hair. Or just being there.

" They could've sent that Japanese girl," complained Parker, " I like her. Is she on that earpiece thing? "

" Yeah," replied Owen.

" Hello! " Parker shouted loudly, " Just to say that you've got very lovely legs! You could show them off more! "

Tosh looked down, embarrassed, and Lily laughed, nudging her. Ianto rolled his eyes, though amused, while Gwen focused solely on the screen. When Lily turned back to it, Parker was showing Owen a large alien device that looked like a shell and glowed, emitting a hollow sound.

" I named it," Parker said, holding it tightly, " it's keping my alive. You can't take it away! "

" It could be dangerous," Owen warned, taking some readings from it, " we've been detecting some massive readings. "

" It doesn't work though," Lily said, " I've seen one of those before - long time ago, but I remember it," she said, glancing at those she was with.

Owen seemed to be on it, anyway, as he told Parker, " The energy isn't going into you - it doesn't work. The power's just building up inside that thing, but it isn't doing anything for you. "

" You're wrong," said Parker, annoyed, " I can feel it. It's keeping me alive. "

" You've got to listen to me - it's not happening," Owen argued, " there are loads of people's lives at risk. If that explodes, we don't know what the result will be. "

" You're young," Parker told him, " you don't understand what dying is like. "

" Believe me, I do," said Owen, " I really do. "

" There's nothing there," said Parker, " on the other side, nothing. I'm dying. Take away my Pulse and I'm gone. My body is decomposing. "

" You can't stop it, Mr Parker," Owen told him, " I'm sorry, but it's going to happen one day. "

"It'll be dark and I'll be alone," Parker complained.

" It's dark and you're alone now, so what's the difference? " Owen pressed.

" I don't understand what's keeping me here," Parker whispered.

Lily felt quite uncomfortable listening to this conversation, and it felt very awkward - as if she and the others were intruding by listening to this.

They all listened as Owen told Parker there was nothing to be scared of, and that this current quality of life wasn't worth it - the pulse wasn't making things better for him. Parker eventually came around and held the Pulse out to Owen weakly.

" Take it," he said, " just take it. "

Owen took it from him slowly and looked at him, " Well? "

" It's so dark, and I'm all alone," Parker whined.

Owen shook his head, " It's alright. I'm here with you. "

He took the old man's hand and Lily leant back, barely listening anymore - she felt that there was very little that they could do to help now, and they'd got the Pulse, so that was done.

" I'm going to help you," Owen promised.

" If you come back," said Parker, " you can tell me all about Torchwood. Tell me what it's like. I want to hear about the aliens and everything. I need ... I need to know there's more out there. That this isn't all there is. " When Owen didn't reply, he added, " Oh, come on! I'm dying - who am I going to tell, the angel Gabriel? If you come back, I won't tell the Japanese girl that you're still holding my hand. "

" Maybe," Owen nodded.

He stood up and was getting ready to leave when Parker coughed and his monitor flatlined. Owen reached out for the oxygen mask and gave it to Parker, trying to reassure him. Parker wasn't responding and nothing happened.

Lily bit down on her nail nervously and hoped Owen could save the man, though she knew there was little chance- he was old and il.

Owen started chest compressions though he wasn't getting anywhere, and when things were looking the worst, he started to give mouth to mouth. At that point, Lily shook her head at the others and after a moment, Owen stopped, realising that he had no breath to give. It was no good.

Owen sighed and put his head down on the bed, while the others looked on, knowing there was nothing they could do. Lily's eyes drifted towards the energy levels on the screen and she frowned

" Owen? Owen, can you hear me? " she demanded loudly.

" Yeah, yeah," Owen mumbled.

" The energy levels are off the screen - is the pulse doing anything? Owen? " she demanded, as the energy waves grew stronger and stronger, " this is going to explode," she said, " and we can't stop it. "

" It's okay," Owen said," I'm just going to hold it. "

" What are you doing? " Lily asked, frowning.

" Let me see if I can absorb it," Owen said, remaining suprisingly calm about it, " Lily? You're good with alien stuff - what do you think? "

Lily frowned, wondering if it might work, and thought that it had a good chance of working, but couldn't be sure. It was more likely to make him explode with it.

" I ... I don't know," she said carefully, " but there's so much energy coming off. It'll probably destroy you. "

" These things happen," Owen said simply.

" There must be something we can do," Martha said, over the comms, from where she and Jak were outside Parker's house.

Lily frowned - that much energy might kill anyone who tried to absorb it, but she wasn't human. Maybe she could get down there and absorb it herself.

" How long do we have? " Lily asked, looking at Tosh, " I could get over there and absorb it myself. Even if it kills me, I'd come back. Just ... in a different body. "

" There isn't enough time," Tosh said, pointing at the screen to show her, " because if there was, we could just send Jack in. "

They all turned their attention back to Owen, a Lily bit down on her lip, hoping everyone would be alright out of this.

Owen had begun to adress all of his collegues and he sounded completely serious as he said, " Martha? If it destroys me, they're going to need a new doctor. You've got all the credentials: medical skills and a cracking arse. Jack, if you even attempt to bring me back ... well, just don't do it. Gwen, Ianto, spacegirl, it was fun. Thank you. And Tosh? "

Tosh didn't answer him.

" C'mon Tosh," Owen sighed, " answer me. "

" Owen," she mumbled.

" I'm sorry," Owen said sincerely.

There was a pause, before Tosh added, " I love you. "

Lily smiled a little sadly for her friend and laid a hand on her shoulder as they all waited to see what would happen. She was rooting for Tosh and Owen to get together and she wished Owen would just take charge and love Tosh like she wanted him to.

They all waited with bated breath to find out what would happen next, and everything fell silent on Owen's end of the line, as the energy levels started to fall on the screen.

When the energy levels had dropped, and there was still silence, it was looking like the worst, and they weren't sure what to say. Tosh let out a sob, thinking he was dead, and Lily took a breath before asking,

" O-owen? "

After a moment of silence, they were all relieved to hear Owen's voice, " I'm here. I'm fine. "

A wave of relief went through them followed by Jack's commanding voice, " Everyone's safe. We're coming back. "

Lily looked around at the others and then headed for the cog door. Gwen, Ianto and Tosh followed and the four of htem went up to the bay and waited ouside for the SUV.

Lily stood in the cold air, wishing she'd brought out her coat, and waited for Jack and the others, happy that everything was going to be alright now. When the SUV pulled into sight, and stopped in front of them, Lily grinned.

The doors were thrown open, and Owen helped Martha out of the back seat, while Jack jumped out of the driver's side. Martha got out with her cases, which told Lily that they'd called to Martha's hotel before coming back to the hub.

" I'm sorry Doctor Jones," Owen said, looking fine, " there's no vacanies in Cardiff right now. "

" That's okay," Martha said, " I say going to say you're fine, but I reckon you're a hell of a lot more than that. And I've got a boyfriend to get back to. "

Owen shrugged and hugged her, " Thank you. For everything. "

Owen kissed Martha on the cheek and then gave her a hug, as Jack rolled his eyes at them and went over to Lily. Lily just smiled at him and he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against him. She smiled and put her hands over his, loving how warm he was.

Martha said a goodbye to Gwen and Ianto, hugging them both, and Tosh too, before stopping in front of Lily and Jack, not quite sure how to say goodbye to her two good friends.

Lily stepped away from Jack to hug Martha warmly.

" You take care," she said, " give my love to your boyfriend, Dr Milligan ... not that he'd remember me, I suppose ... keep in touch and we'll see you again soon hopefully. "

Martha nodded, " Definitley, yeah. I'll be back, don't you worry about it. Give your dad my love, if you see him soon. "

" It's been so good to see you," Lily smiled, as she'd loved having her friend around again.

" You too," Martha said, " I'll see you again soon. "

Lily nodded and Martha then turned to Jack, " Well ... it's been interesting," she said.

" Oh, it's been fun," Jack corrected, " you know it has. "

Lily watched the pair of them fondly, though this turned to shock when Martha leaned forwards, putting her hands on Jack's shoulders and kissing him straight on the lips for a long moment. Lily stared, and was still staring with a shocked expression when Martha stepped back.

Jack was looking a little dazed and looked at her curiously.

Martha chuckled by way of explanation, " Well, everyone else has had a go. "

Jack laughed too, as Lily folded her arm and tried not to be jealous as she knew she had no reason to be. She watched closely as Jack cupped Martha's cheek and told her seriously,

" You can come back at anytime. "

" Well, maybe I will. One day," Martha replied, tapping her fingers to her head in a saulte, which Jack imitated, before they both laughed and Martha turned away.

Lily watched her leave and get into a taxi, not quite sure what to make of it. She kept looking in the direction that Martha had just left in, feeling shocked about the kiss, until Jack called her name.

She looked at him and he was standing there looking at her with a hopeful expression on his face, while the others looked on, amused.

" You're not going to hold that against me, are you? " Jack asked, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender, " it's not my fault - you saw her - she just kissed me. I didn't kiss her back. "

Lily wasn't really mad, since it was only a little kiss, but she saw no harm in letting him think she was mad, " You didn't exactly push her away though, did you? "

Jack couldn't think of a reply for that, and stuttered for a moment before saying, " No - look - baby, don't be mad. It was one little kiss - I didn't tell her to do it. I didn't kiss her back. "

Lily said nothing, and with a mischevious grin, Owen stepped forwards.

" Look," the young doctor said, " I think there's only one way to solve this, don't you? "

For the second time in a couple of minutes, they were all taken by supise. Owen moved quickly, turning to Lily and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her in.

He paused as he looked down at her, and Lily shook her head at him. " You sneaky little sod," she whispered, " any excuse to get a kiss from someone. "

Owen tilted her head up with his thumb and forefinger and pressed his lips to her. He kissed her with a suprising amount of force, and Lily was too suprised to respond - not that she wanted to anyway, having Jack as a boyfriend.

When Owen released her, he turned to see a furious looking Jack.

" What? " he asked, " you're even now. "

Jack took a step closer to Owen, still looking mad, and Lily couldn't help but laugh at how easily Jack got jealous - she was sure that Owen's kiss only came as a cheeky litle one-off. She knew he hardly had feelings for her.

" I think you should go home, Owen, before you're tempted to kiss my girlfriend again and I'm tempted to do something we might regret," said Jack.

Owen shrugged, " This is the thanks I get for trying to help. All I did was make everything even. "

Lily laughed, earning herself a frown from Jack, and Owen turned away. Jack nodded at the rest of the team, and everyone started to go their seperate ways and leave for the night.

Jack looked at Lily and rolled his eyes, " What am I going to do with you? " he sighed, taking off his greatcoat and draping it around her.

" Let's just go home," Lily said, taking his hand.

Jack nodded, knowing tht the kiss had been nothing, and it was only the same as Martha kissing him. They walked back together happily and once they were in the hub, Jack locked the place up, leaving he and Lily in the office.

Lily shrugged off Jack's trenchcoat and tossed it at him, before she started to descend down the ladder to their room. Jack followed her, and as soon as they were in the bedroom, he took hold of her hands and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly.

Lily smiled, perfectly happy in his arms and as they embraced, he rubbed her back lightly, " How about your name then? " he asked her, " I'll tell you mine when you tell me yours. "

Lily looked up, still in his arms, looking right into his eyes, as they both knew how serious this was.

She pressed herself up on her tip toes and Jack's heart hammered against his chest as his girlfriend's lips pressed against his ear. In that moment, he knew Lily was the most perfect woman in the universe.

TWTWTW

**Author's Note: Next chapters will be sontaram strategem/poison sky and the doctor's daughter, which means Lily will be back travelling with her Dad. Donna will be there, Martha will be there. I think I'll have Jack go as well, because we might miss Jack if we go three whole episodes without him.**


	13. The Sontaran Strategem

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Sorry about the long delay between chapters - this got wiped out in a virus, as did lots of things, and it totally knocked my confidence, so when I started writing again, it didn't seem right**

**I hope this is good enough, and I hope you'll all forgive me and continue to read**

**As always, any feedback or comments welcome.**

Chapter Thirteen

Two weeks later, Jack woke up to find he was in bed alone. He set off in search of his girlfriend and found her in the main area of the hub, sitting on her desk, her phone clutched to her ear.

He approached her and laid his hands on her shoulders lightly, brushing his hands down her arms and up again. He frowned a little to himself - Lily had been at Torchwood five months and she hadn't seen her dad in almost three. He knew she loved Torchwood, but he also knew she missed her dad - even seeing him from time to time was enough.

She tossed the phone down on her desk and looked at Jack, " No good," she said, " he's not there. "

Jack's hands slid down and settled on her waist and he pulled her closer, resting his chin on the top of her head as she sat with her back to his front.

" Baby, you know what it's like," he told her, " him and Donna'll be off somewhere, running here, there and everywhere, saving the universe. You must just be phoning while they're not there. "

Lily sighed, " But I've called loads, and they're _never _around. What if something's happened to him? "

Jack shook his head, " You know as well as I do, that he's fine. Don't you have some sort of psychic thing going on - like you'd know if he was ... "

" Yeah," she sighed, " you're right. If he was gone, I'd know. But then why can I never catch him? They've got to be in the TARDIS sometimes. Or whenever he rings me, we're in the middle of a major crisis. "

" Don't worry about it," Jack said, leaning around and kissing her cheek, " you'll get through to him soon. He'll come around, pick us up, and we'll go off to some distant planet. "

" Yeah," Lily said, smiling a little, " thanks, kitten. "

" Don't worry about it," Jack repeated soothingly.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, until the alarm on the cog door blared and they both knew their little moment was over. Lily disentangled herself from Jack's arms and got off the desk, standing around the turning to face him.

She quickly reached up on her toes and planted a brief kiss on Jack's lips, which Jack made less brief by catching hold of her hands, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.

They were broken apart by Owen's unimpressed voice as he strode past them, " You're not at it already? Why can't you go more than one minute without being joint at the lips? "

Lily giggled as she and Jack broke apart and she looked in the direction Owen had just left in - towards the kitchen - shouting after him, " What's it got to do with you? "

Owen stuck his head around the kitchen door, " If I'm the one having to watch it all the time, then it's got a lot to do with me. "

" He's just jealous," Jack whispered playfully, making Lily giggle again.

As the phone in Jack's office rang, Jack went to answer it, rolling his eyes as he did so, and Lily went through to the kitchen, where Ianto joined she and Owen a moment later.

Lily opened the fridge and pulled out a chocolate mousse, offering one to Owen, as she knew they were his weakness, and they'd spent a lot of time in the kitchen with their chocolate.

The pair of them sat down at the table, while Ianto started making the drinks for everyone. Ianto was humming quietly to himself, and Lily smirked with a spoon in her mouth.

" You had another date last night then? " she asked.

Ianto blushed as Owen wolf-whistled, and though Lily felt a little sorry for Ianto, she loved teasing him. When she and Owen gave in and let Ianto have his dignity back, he shook his head.

" You two are as bad as each other," he said.

" Sorry," Lily said, as she threw her spoon in the sink, " I'm happy for you. "

" When do we get to meet her? " Owen smirked.

" Oh no," Ianto said, handing a cup to Lily as she passed him, " Cate's a nice normal girl, and she thinks I work for special ops with normal people. I've only seen her a couple of times and I'm not introducing her to you lot. "

" Normal people? " Lily echoed, " whatever do you mean? "

Owen scoffed, " I think he means we've got a time travelling alien, a man who can't die, a man who is forever dead, a girl who'll get with any passing alien or frozen soldier that looks her way and a girl who's getting married but seems to care more about work and her boss. "

Lily frowned as Owen made reference to Jack and Gwen - Lily had been sure it wasn't a problem, and she'd barely thought about it. She was sure there was nothing to worry about.

Lily raised her mug in Ianto's direction and thanked him, before leaving the kitchen with a smile on her face. She found Jack waiting for her at her desk and rasied her eyebrows at him.

He pouted, " You know how you love me? "

" What do you want? " asked Lily, taking a handful of papers from him and looking down at them, " report to UNIT? And you can't do this yourself ... why? "

" Becuase I hate UNIT - sticking their noses in - why can't they leave it all to us? " Jack frowned.

" It's a _report, _Jack," said Lily slowly, " all you have to do is write about what happened the other day, and send it to them. You don't have to talk to any of them. " When Jack didn't reply, she sighed and took it from him.

He thanked her with a kiss on the cheek and then started back to his office,

" I'm too good to you," she called after him.

Jack was about to reply when Lily's phone rang. She grabbed it, hoping it would be her dad, and grinned when she saw his name on the screen of the phone. She opened the phone and answered with a bright, " Hello? "

" Hey Lils," said her dad, making her smile, his voice comforting to her.

" It's so good to hear from you," Lily said, " it's been too long. I've been trying to get hold of you for ages. "

" I know, I know and I'm sorry," he said, as she could picture the look on his face, that sort of pout as he would run one hand through his messy dark hair, " we've been a bit busy - you know how it is. "

" Yeah, well, I want in," Lily said.

" Good," the Doctor said, " because I miss having my lovely clever daughter around. How are you fixed for today? And the good old Captain, as well? "

Lily laughed and looked over at Jack, " Fancy a trip? " she asked him, to which he grinned with a nod and Lily spoke back into the phone, " It just so happens that we don't have much going on here. Oh god, Dad I can't wait to go off again somewhere - I miss the TARDIS. And you. "

" I know, Lils," he said, " we miss you, but you're happy in Cardiff, so that's enough for me. "

" Just promise me you'll be here soon," Lily told her father, then telling him the date and time to make sure he actually got to her in decent time.

When the phonecall was over, Lily looked at Jack and then burst into a grin. Jack closed the space between them with a few long strides and he gathered her up in his arms, hugging her tightly. Lily hugged him back happily, thrilled to be going off with her dad again, but having Jack with her too.

She got ready quickly and then hurried across to Jack, who was fastening his coat up, and she pulled on her own black trenchcoat - it was heavy and she'd only started wearing it when she lost Jack, because it reminded her of him. Now she felt like she could do with something new, but she hadn't got around to changing her image.

" Come on," she said, taking his hand, " let's go - we can't keep him waiting. "

" Lily, he's your dad, he's not the President or anything," Jack said, rolling his eyes, " it's not like I need to make a good impression after everything we've all been through together. "

" It's not about making a good impression," she said, " he already knows that you're an idiot. But he trusts you to look after me, so let's at least make sure we're up there to meet him on time. "

Jack shrugged, holding her hand tighter, and then they walked over to where the rest of the team were gathered around Tosh's computers.

" Right," Jack said, " as you know, Lily and I are going on a quick trip with the Doctor. We won't be away long and we're always available on Lily's super mobile. Gwen, you're in charge until we get back, but it's looking like a quiet day around here. "

" How long do you think you'll be gone for? " Gwen asked, " my wedding's on Saturday. "

" We'll be back for that," Jack told her, " it's a time machine - we could go to ten different planets and be back in five minutes. "

" Yeah, and leave all sorts of trouble behind," Lily said, shaking her head, " I'm sure there's several places we're exiled from now. "

" For what? " asked Owen curiously.

Jack didn't answer, but Lily grinned, " Not long after we - me, Dad and Rose - first met Jack, we went to this tiny little yellow planet millions of lightyears away. It was before me and Jack were together, and we all ended up at this royal court, ball, thing. Of course, Jack's reaction was to find the prettiest woman in the room, dance with her, and then try to find somewhere more private. "

" Lily," Jack muttered.

Lily smirked, " So he finds this gorgeous redhead and drags her off somewhere private. Only, they get caught in the act, and it turns out that this girl is the Princess of the planet. Long story short, Jack nearly got hung - and he was mortal back then - and we can't go back there in a hurry. "

Owen and the others laughed at this, though Jack wasn't looking particularly impressed.

" Let's just get going," he said, dropping her hand and fixing his arm around her waist instead. They said goodbye to the rest of the tean and started towards the bay.

As they walked, Jack glanced at Lily, " You know," he said, " that princess wasn't the prettiest girl in the room. I just didn't think I had much chance with the one who _was _the prettiest. "

Lily laughed at him, " Still, you managed it in the end. "

He shrugged, " Yeah. Thing is though, I could never have fallen in love with _her_. I could never have fallen in love with anyone but _you_. "

Lily smiled, " You're so sweet sometimes," she said, " and I could never have fallen for anyone except you. "

As they walked through the tourist office and got into the fresh air, Lily put her arm around Jack too, resting her hand on his back. They crossed the square happily and Jack steered her over to the railings by the bay.

" Here we are," he said, standing to face her, " you remember this spot? "

Lily scoffed, " How could I forget? We live right under here - we work under here - we pass here all the time. "

Jack rolled his eyes, " Are you being difficult on purpose? " he asked her, " I meant - "

Lily cut him off, " I know what you meant. Our first kiss. Right here on that night ages and ages ago. As far as I remember, it was ... well, it was very nice. "

" You up for a repeat performance? " Jack asked, not giving her chance to answer as he tilted her head up with his thumb and captured her lips with his. Lily kissed him back with the same amount of passion and she was running a hand through his hair when she heard that all important sound

Immediately, she broke away from Jack, leaving him looking slightly dazed, but she didn't notice as her eyes darted around, looking for her former home.

She grinned when she saw the TARDIS materialise just in front of them, and as soon as the engines stopped, and it was fully materialised, she moved forwards. She pushed the door open without bothering to knock and took a few steps in, stopping just inside.

She grinned as she saw the TARDIS - same as ever - and her dad, wearing his blue suit, standing by the controls, eyes fixed on the screen. Donna was stood beside him, leaning over his shoulder to see what he was looking at.

Jack walked in and stood beside her, and Lily just looked at her dad, pleased to see him again. He hadn't even noticed them come in, and when he moved away from the screen and looked up, he looked suprised to see them there.

" Lily! " he exclaimed, " don't you know how to knock - I didn't even realise you were here! "

Lily didn't reply, only laughing and closing the distance between them, as did the Doctor. He enveloped her in his arms and hugged her to him. She hugged back, resting her head against his shoulder as he kissed the top of her head protectively.

" Good to have you back," he said.

" Good to be back," Lily grinned when they broke apart. She was excited and couldn't keep still as she walked around the console, looking down at it and running her hand over it. She walked past Donna, greeting her cheerily, as she fully approved of Donna's ability to look after her dad - she was much happier knowing that the Doctor had someone to look after him who he wasn't in danger of falling for.

She turned around to see the Doctor grinning at Jack.

" Ah, Captain Jack," he said, " good to have you around too. Although we always seem to get into trouble when you're around. "

" You do that on your own, Dad," Lily called, " don't blame Jack for that. "

Jack saluted the Doctor, and the Doctor laughed, before the pair of them shared a hug. The Doctor might not have approved of Jack and Lily's relationship at first, but he'd come around to the idea and now knew that there was no-one better for his daughter than Jack. He'd always liked Jack as a friend too, and he found it easy to get on with the Captain, and liked having Lily and Jack with him.

" How have you been? " the Doctor asked as Jack went to greet Donna, who seemed very pleased to be in his company.

" We're good, aren't we? " Lily said, looking over at Jack. She lowered her voice and told her dad, " honestly, I love it all. I mean, I miss you and the TARDIS, but I'm really happy. You wouldn't believe the amount of strange things that happen in _Cardiff. _Anyway, never mind that, where are we going? "

" Mystery trip? " the Doctor asked, grinning wildly.

Lily shared the exact same grin, and she nodded, watching as her dad ran over to the console, starting to fiddle with it. Lily stepped up to watch him, and Jack took her hand as they all stood together.

" Oh, you won't believe who we saw the other week," Jack said, glancing at the Doctor.

" Martha," Lily finished, " she came to do a bit of work for us. It was good to see her you know - she's fine, of course. Asked after you. Sends her love. "

The Doctor smiled, " As long as she's recovering from ... you know ... that year. "

" We've all recovered from that," Lily said quietly, before clearing her throat and allowing a mischevious smile to cross her face, " I mean, Jack's even found it in him to go around kissing Martha. "

The Doctor looked quite annoyed at this, not knowing the details, and Jack retaliated by sticking his tounge out at Lily and replying, " and Lily's even found it in her to go around kissing our resident doctor. "

The Doctor frowned, " What? " he stopped and shook his head, " No, actually I don't think I need to know all the details. It's safer not knowing where you two are concerned. "

Lily threw a look at Jack, who shrugged, giving her that flashy grin that she loved.

" You know," Lily said, " I think I fancy somewhere far far away. Aliens, different planet, different time zone. Somewhere completely out of this world. "

" Duly noted, Lils," nodded the Doctor, smiling a little, " one trip to somewhere far far away. "

They were interrupted by the mobile phone ringing in the TARDIS, and the Doctor looking arund before realising it was his own TARDIS phone. He picked it up, while everyone else looked on curiously - the only person who ever rang that phone was Lily.

" Hello? " he asked, picking it up and leaning back against the console.

Lily listening in curiously - there were very few words exchanged, but the Doctor sounded pleased to hear whoever was on the other end. His only actions were a few nods, "Hmms" and a "Yeah, see you."

" Who was that? " Lily asked as he hung up.

" Curiosity killed the cat, Lils," the Doctor said, suddenly changing around the controls, as if he was heading for a different destination now.

" Yeah, but lucky for us, I am a Time Lord, and curiosity never killed _them. _So who was on the phone? " she pressed.

The Doctor smiled a little at her cheeky comments and rather than telling her not to backchat her father, he shook his head - he knew that everything she was, she got from him. " You'll find out soon enough," he said, " we're paying a visit to a friend. "

" On a distant faraway planet? " Lily asked hopefully.

" Not quite," the Doctor said, " but I think you'll be happy with this. Ooh, it's turning out to be just like a reunion. I do like reunions. "

Lily frowned, wondering what he was talking about, but said nothing. She watched the controls as they worked away and she loved being in flight again.

When they landed, Lily was the first to the door, closely followed by Jack. The Doctor, who watched them go with amusement, just enjoying having his family around - there was no denying that Jack bloody Harkness was his family now.

" When are we? " Lily asked, before she opened the doors, looking back at her dad.

" Two days after I picked you up," the Doctor replied.

Lily shrugged, " Not quite far far away then. " She flung open the doors nonetheless.

The first thing Lily saw was Martha and her jaw dropped a little as she laughed.

" Martha! "

" Lily! "

The two women shared a warm hug. Lily laughed when they broke apart, " This is more like it. Seeing each other all over the place - Dad didn't tell me you'd called him. "

" Inter-galactic man of mystery," Martha said. " Bit of news for you, by the way," she said, holding up her hand. Lily gasped at the ring there, " Oh wow. That's gorgeous. Congratulations! "

They hugged again and then Lily stepped aside because Jack was loitering around and grinning broadly at Martha.

" I'm watching you," Lily whispered as Jack passed her.

" Yeah, just like I'm constantly watching you and Owen," Jack said, frowning.

The frown disappeared as he hugged Martha, " We're making a habit out of this," he said, " you just showing up wherever I happen to be. Anyone would think you were stalking my girlfriend and I. "

" You wish," Martha said.

As they pulled away, Jack picked up Martha's hand, looking down at the ring, " Impressive," he said, " seems like people are getting married everywhere we turn. First Gwen, now you. I wouldn't be suprised if we get back home and Owen's gotten married. "

There were footsteps behind them, and Lily turned to see her dad leaving the TARDIS and coming to join them. He touched her shoulder lightly as he passed her and came to stand in front of Martha, as Jack and Lily move to stand further back.

The pair looked at each other for a long moment and Lily watched them both fondly as the Doctor grabbed Martha into a big bear hug, lifting her off her feet. She remembered all the good times they'd had together while travelling around and was happy that everyone was reunited.

" You haven't changed a bit," the Doctor said as he released Martha.

" Neither have you! " Martha grinned.

" I hope I have," Lily muttered, looking over her shoulder at Jack. Jack smiled a little and closed his arms around her waist as he stood behind her.

" Course you have," Jack said, " you're happier. "

" How's the family? " the Doctor was asking as Lily turned her attention back to them.

" Not so bad," Martha said, before they heard light footsteps, and Donna stepped out of the TARDIS. Martha registered her presence and looked at the Doctor, " Lily said you'd replaced me. Should have known - didn't take you long. "

Lily watched in amusement as Donna joined the Doctor and Martha, while she and Jack stood back and watched. Lily had always felt sorry for the way Martha loved the Doctor, but she knew she was over it now she was with Tom. Lily's only concern was that Martha had found another man so quickly - she had suspicions that Martha's feelings for Tom might not be quite the real thing - maybe a rebound.

" Now, don't start a fight," the Doctor said, holding up his hands, " Martha, Donna. Donna, Martha. Please don't fight - I can't bear fighting. "

" You wish," Donna scoffed.

" He can't help having a high opinion of himself," Jack chipped in.

The Doctor pointed a finger at him, " Watch it, you," he said frowning.

Donna rolled her eyes and looked at Martha, " I've heard all about you. He talks about you all the time. "

" I dread to think," Martha said, pulling a face.

" No, no, no," Donna corrected, shaking her head, " he says nice things. Good things. Nice things. Really nice things. "

" Oh my God, he's told you everything," Martha sighed, feeling embarrassed.

Donna however, was as sharp as Lily, and caught sight of the shining ring sitting there. " Didn't take you long to get over it though - who's the lucky man? "

" What man? Lucky what? " the Doctor asked, looking confused, in a way that Lily found quite funny.

" She's engaged, you idiot," Donna said, shaking her head.

As Martha waggled the fingers on her left hand, the Doctor asked, " What? To who? "

" Tom," Martha replied, smiling, " That Tom Milligan. Proposed last week, but he's in paediatrics out in Africa right now. And yes, I know, I know, I've got a doctor who disappears off to distant places - tell me about it. "

" Is he skinny? " Donna asked, casting one eye towards the Doctor.

" No, he's sort of strong," Martha said, " I mean, not strong like Jack, but not skinny. "

Donna nodded, jerking her thumb towards the Doctor, " _He _is too skinny for words. You give him a hug - you get a papercut. "

" I'd rather you were fighting," the Doctor said, with a frown as the two women laughed at him. When it became clear that they were ganging up on him, he shook his head, " Fine then. I'll take my hugs to someone who appreciates them. "

He reached out with one hand towards his daughter, and she smiled, taking his hand and allowing him to gently pull her from Jack's loose grip. He took her in one of his warm hugs, and as she cuddled her dad - wishing as always that she was taller - she smirked a little.

" You know," she said, pinching his side, " I never realised it before, but now I've spent all those months hugging someone big and strong, you actually are really skinny. "

The Doctor frowned and broke the hug, " Nice to know I can always count on my darling daughter to side with me. " On seeing Jack puff his chest up with a self satisfied smirk, he pointed a finger at him, " you're a bad influence. "

" Maybe," Jack shrugged.

The Doctor sighed - he knew that Lily and Jack were as bad as each other, and it didn't matter what trouble they got into, because Jack cared about Lily, and there was no-one else who could make his daughter that happy.

The silence was broken by Martha's radio buzzing and a fermale voice calling, " Dr Jones, report to base please. "

Martha grabbed the radio and spoke into it, " This is Dr Jones. Operation Blue Sky, go, go go. "

She suddenly turned and started walking away, leaving the others to follow her. Lily strode along between her dad and Jack, and watched as soldiers, jeeps and a large lorry came down the road.

" Raise the barrier! " one soldier yelled.

" All workers lay down your tools and surrender! " shouted another soldier over a mega phone.

Back into her radio, Martha said, " Greyhound Six to Trap One. B section, go, go, go! Search the ground floor, grid pattern Delta. "

" What're you searching for? " asked Lily curiously.

" Illegal aliens," Martha replied promptly.

Martha went back to shouting in her radio while the soldiers shouted at each other and ran around. As Martha raced off, leaving the others behind, Lily stared after her in suprise.

" Is that what you did to her? " Donna asked the Doctor, " turned her into a soldier? "

The Doctor was equally stunned and shook his head, " I ... I don't know. "

Lily glanced at Jack, and then at Donna and the Doctor, " She only came to work for us about two or three weeks ago and she was really normal then. Just the same as always. Stayed for five or six days. "

Jack shrugged, " You know Martha - versatile as ever. Capable of everything. Still, I didn't expect this. " He looked around and then smirked, " I think I could get used to a place like this - plenty of men in uniform. Hmm, maybe I'll have to go explore ... "

Lily gritted her teeth, slapping his arm.

" What? " he asked innocently, " I can't help being a flirt. "

" Yeah, but you _can_ help telling me that you're more bothered about all these "men in uniform" than me," she hissed.

Jack shrugged, giving her his most irresistable grin, " Now baby, I never said that. There's no-one more important to me than you but ... I'm willing to bet that some of those soldiers are pretty hot. "

Lily rolled her eyes - Jack's flirting never bothered her much because she knew he wouldn't act on it, however much she pretended to be mad at him. She could be just as flirtacious as he was, and mess about just as much.

She cast her eye over to where a line of them were trooping past and smirked, " I might go over there and see if any of them are handing out mobile numbers. "

The Doctor shook his head at the pair of them, " How you ever get any work done is beyond me. Maybe we should focus on what's going on around here. "

" Good idea," Lily said, pointing a finger at Jack, " you go stand over there somewhere so you don't distract me. "

Jack pouted but took one large step away from her, just as Martha came back over to them.

" Come on," she said, " let's get you lot inside. "

The Doctor noticed the badge on her chest, " You're qualified now? A proper doctor. "

" Oh yeah, forgot to mention it," said Lily, shrugging.

" Well, UNIT rushed it through," Martha nodded, pleased that he'd noticed, " given my experience in the field and a recommendation from some higher source - whoever that might be. "

The Doctor smiled in acknowledgement of the reference he'd given for her.

Martha continued, as they walked, " We're establishing a field base on site. They're all dying to meet you, Doctor. And Lily. "

" Wish I could say the same," the Doctor muttered.

The Doctor and Lily had spent several Earth years at UNIT, though as Lily had been even younger, and the Doctor as protective as ever, she did very little work and spent most of her time sat down with a book rather than actually doing anything. The Doctor had been down as a UNIT employee, but he never allowed Lily to work for them. However, she ended up spending lots of time there while he was, and might have well as been an official employee.

They entered a large lorry, Jack taking Lily's hand and helping her up the wide step, and once they were inside they saw computers and monitors set up all the way around, with a man standing there.

Martha walked up to the man, who was carrying a large gun, " Operation Blue Sky complete, sir. Thanks for letting me take the lead. And this ... this is the Doctor. Doctor, Colonel Mace. "

The Colonel saluted, " Sir! "

" Oh, don't salute," sighed the Doctor, shaking his head.

" And I'm Captain Jack Harkness," Jack supplied.

The Colonel clasped Jack's hand tightly - he of course knew who Lily and Jack were through Torchwood.

Turning back to the Doctor, who seemed to be the main attraction here, Colonel Mace nodded, " it's an honour, sir. I've read all the files on you. Technically speaking, you're still on staff. You never resigned. "

" What, you worked for them? " asked Donna.

" Long time ago," the Doctor replied, " in the 70s, or maybe the 80s. It was all a bit more homespun back then. "

" Times have changed, sir," the Colonel said.

" That's enough of the sir," the Doctor said, not liking it.

" Come on though Doctor," Martha pressed, " You've seen it. You've been on board the Valiant. We've got massive funding from the United Nations, all in the name of Homeworld Security. "

" A modern UNIT for a modern world," Colonel Mace said.

Lily frowned, as she hadn't even recieved a greeting - nor had Donna. UNIT had changed since her time there and all they ever seemed to do was get in the way of her work at Torchwood. She and Jack always felt that they worked better without UNIT's interference, and they didn't think much of UNIT sticking their noses in.

" I don't think I like the sound of that," Lily said, " I'm Lily, by the way. Torchwood. Doctor's daughter. "

" And I'm Donna Noble," said Donna, frowning at the man, " since you _didn't _ask. "

" We'll have a salute," Lily said, not liking the way the Colonel had only bothered to greet the two men.

He looked a little uneasy but he nodded and saluted them, " Ma'am," he said, nodding at Lily, and then Donna, " Ma'am. "

" There's a good boy," Lily nodded in approval.

" Tell me what's going on around here," the Doctor said, trying not to be amused by his daughter's attitude.

The Colonel oblidged, " Yesterday, 52 people died in identical circumstances right across the world, in 11 different time zones. 5am in the UK, 6am in France, 8am in Moscow, 1pm in China - "

Lily was shocked by it - everywhere they went,something happened. Sometimes she felt like she was a magnet for trouble.

" All at the same time? " Jack asked, " yesterday. "

The Colonel nodded, " Exactly. 52 deaths at the exact same moment. "

Jack frowned, looking at Lily, " We left Gwen in charge - I told her to phone us if anything big happened. Why haven't they phoned us? "

" I don't know," Lily said, trying to calm him with her tone of voice, " if it's not rift related they won't have even picked it up straight away. In fact, without access to some of the more secretive systems - which are all on your computer, under you secret access codes, they might not even pick it up as quick as me or you would do. "

" How did they die? " asked the Doctor.

" They were all inside their cars," Colonel Mace answered.

" I checked it out," Martha said, " they were poisioned. No toxins. Whatever it is, left the system immediately. "

" Then what have the cars got in common? " the Doctor asked.

" Completely different makes but all fitted out with ATMOS," Martha supplied, " and that is the ATMOS factory. "

" What's ATMOS? " the Doctor asked, clueless.

" Oh, come on," Donna laughed, " even _I_ know that. Everyone's got ATMOS. "

The Colonel suggested that they go into the ATMOS factory, and on their way, Lily walked beside her dad - since living with the humans she'd come to know a lot more about their technology, and could answer her father's question.

" Stands for Atmospheric Emissions System. We were going to get it for the SUV last month, but it wasn't cost effective with the size of our engine. It reduces CO2 emissions to zero. "

" None at all? " the Doctor asked as they walked into the factory.

" Plus," Donna added, " you get sat-nav thrown in and twenty quid shopping vouchers when you introduce a friend. Bargain. "

" Sounds sort of suspicious now though," said Lily, shaking her head, " and it never even occured to me before. I just thought it was one of those things people want for their cars - nothing to even think about. "

" And this is where they make it," Colonel Mace said, " Shipping worldwide. 17 factories across the globe but this is the central depot, sending ATMOS to every contry on Earth. "

" And you think it's alien? " the Doctor asked.

" It's a possibility," Mace said.

They all went through to the factory office, where the Colonel proceeded to show them an ATMOS device laid bare - Lily had never thought much of it before, but now she knew her dad would handle it and they could think about it properly.

" Here it is," the Colonel said, " we checked it out before it went out but found nothing, which is why I thought we needed an expert. "

The Doctor leaned over the device, putting on his glasses as he did so. " Really? " he asked curiously, " who did you get? "

Lily shook her head - he was completely clueless. He straightened up to see she, and everyone else, staring at him. His eyes widened and he nodded, " Oh, right! Yes! Me! Good! "

Lily laughed a little, " You're not half slack sometimes," she said.

" Oi," the Doctor said, pointing a finger at her," you're not too old for a spanking, you know. "

Lily rolled her eyes, saying nothing.

The Doctor continued to examine it, and after a few minutes, Lily moved forwards, also looking at it. " If this is alien, we are they so keen on cleaning up the atmosphere? "

" Very good question," the Doctor said," do you know how many cars are on the Earth? "

" About 800 million? " Lily guessed.

" Yeah," the Doctor confirmed, " Imagine that. If you could control them, you'd have 800 million weapons. "

" I don't like the sound of that," said Lily, as she watched him scan it with his screwdriver.

" Is it alien? " Mace asked moving closer to the father and daughter, " what are the origins? "

" It's not alien," the Doctor said, as Lily frowned at Mace standing right behind them with a gun, " but it's decades ahead of its time. Look do you mind? Could you stand back a bit? "

" Have I done something wrong? " the Colonel asked.

" You're carrying a gun," the Doctor said, " I don't like people with guns hanging around me, alright? "

" Me neither," Lily said, as the Colonel moved away. He left the room, and Donna followed, asking something that the others didn't quite hear.

" What're you talking about? " Martha asked, looking at Lily, " you have _loads_ of guns at Torchwood. "

The Doctor - who like Lily - was strongly against death and guns, straightened to stare at his daughter. He purposely used his height as an advantage, drawing himself up so he loomed over his daughter, " You run around with guns now? " he asked, anger seeping into his voice.

Lily inwardly cursed Martha for dropped her in it with her dad. " Dad, it's not - "

He cut her off, " Haven't I always brought you up to be against violence? Death? Guns? Then the minute I leave you somewhere else, you start picking up guns and getting into god knows what - I thought Torchwood had changed! "

" It has! " Lily said.

" No," the Doctor said, staring her down, " if that's what your life is now then you're staying with me. "

" Just give me a minute," Lily said, holding up her hand, and trying not to shout at him, " if you'd let me explain, then yeah. There are guns at Torchwood. Yeah, Jack and the others carry a gun when we're out, but I don't. I thought you would have known that that's not me. We need something as protection because it gets dangerous, so I have a harmless stun gun. Stuns people for 10 minutes. I wouldn't kill anyone. It's not me. You want me to be safe, don't you? But you're not there, so I need protection. Not a gun though. "

There followed a long silence as the Doctor looked at Lily, and she felt a little hurt that he could think that of her. Then the Doctor felt guilty, and knew he should have known her better than that.

He reached out with one hand and gently tucked some of his daughter's hair behind her ear, and giving her a smile by way of apology. She sighed a little, and as they both cooled down, she returned the smile slightly, accepting it.

The Doctor went back to the device, pulling out his sonic screwdriver, and after a hesitance, Lily joined his again. This time, however, she felt a gentle but firm hand on her waist and Jack was standing behind her, looking over her shoulder so he should see what was going on.

Martha glanced at the direction Mace had left in, and then at the Doctor, " Bit tetchy aren't you? " she said, " he's a good man. "

The Doctor frowned, " People with guns are usually the enemy in my books. " At this, Jack looked a little sheepish. The Doctor added to Martha, " anyway, you seem quite at home. "

" If anyone got me used to fighting, it's you," Martha pointed out.

" Oh right, so it's my fault," the Doctor said, beginning to wonder what he'd driven those closest to him to - first Lily and then Martha.

" Well, you got me the job," Martha told him, " and besides - look at me. Am I carrying a gun? "

He glanced at her, " Suppose not. "

Martha nodded, " Exactly. It's alright for you. You can just come and go but some of us have got to stay behind. So I've got to work from the inside and by staying inside, maybe I stand a chance of making them better. "

The Doctor smiled, and everything was alright again, " That's more like the Martha Jones I know. "

" I learnt from the best," Martha said simply.

" Didn't we all? " Jack asked, thinking of how he was a con man until he met Lily and the Doctor.

" Well ... " the Doctor said, trying to shrug it off.

There was footsteps and Donna returned, " Oi, you lot! All your storm troopers and your sonics - rubbish. You should have come with me! "

" Where have you been? " the Doctor asked as Colonel Mace rejoined them.

" Personnel," Donna supplied, " that's where the weird stuff's happening - in the paperwork. Cause I spent years working as a temp, I can find my way around an ofice blindfolded and the first thing I notice is an empty file. "

" Which file? " Lily asked - it was strange being here because the Doctor was used to being in charge, but Jack was a leader too, and Lily had experience being in charge.

" Sick days," Donna said, " Lily, how many sick days do you take? "

Lily shrugged, glancing at Jack, " Well, I don't really get sick, but I take the odd day to go shopping - that sort of thing. "

Jack rolled his eyes at her, throwing an arm around her waist, " Yeah, and you won't be having many more days off for shopping if you carry on buying clothes for yourself and nothing for me. "

Lily allowed a playful smile to play out across her face, " I buy you clothes sometimes. " She stopped, " well, I buy _me _things but you certainly seem to enjoy them. "

Donna cleared her throat, " Exactly. Everyone takes the odd day off - sneaky shopping trips, hangovers, man flu. But not here. Hundreds of workers every day and no-one sick. Not ever. They don't get ill. "

" I can see why he likes you," Martha said, nodding at Donna, who grinned at the Doctor - Lily was just pleased to see everyone getting on.

Jack was grinning at Donna, " You should come and work for me instead. "

Donna gave him a look, " Oh, I would Captain, but I can't leave spaceboy to go wandering around on his own. Nothing to stop you coming aboard the TARDIS though. "

Jack simply laughed and Lily noticed the way Donna looked at Jack. Typical - the only downside of having a boyfriend as handsome and charming as Jack was that he turned heads everywhere he went. It didn't bother her much though, because she knew he was all hers.

" Thank you for your offer, Miss Noble," he said with his most charming grin, slinging an arm around Lily's waist, " but I'm quite attached to Torchwood. You'll have to make do with the ... occasional visit. "

Donna shrugged, pretending to be disappointed, " Plenty more fish in the sea," she declared.

Colonel Mace, who had re-entered the room with Donna, nodded at Martha, " Dr Jones, set up a medical post and start examining the workers. I'll send them all through. "

Martha left as directed, and took Donna with her, leaving the other three to follow Colonel Mace down a corridor.

" So where does this ATMOS thing come from? " asked the Doctor.

" Luke Rattigan himself," Mace replied, as though it were obvious.

" Some sort of child genius," Jack supplied for the Doctor's benefit.

Mace nodded, " Invented the Fountain 6 search engine when he was 12 years old. Millionaire overnight. Now runs the Rattigan Academy. A private school educating geniuses from all over the world. "

The Doctor turned to look at Jack and Lily.

" What does a teenager care about the environment? Sounds a bit suspicious to me, don't you think? " he asked the pair of them.

Jack laughed, " Teenagers care about money, popularity and sex. " He shrugged, " Well, everyone cares about sex. Not so much the environment. "

The Doctor didn't look best pleased about the sex comment as he looked uneasily between Lily and Jack, before haking out the scary mental images and looking at them again.

" Well," he said, " I think there's only one thing to do, don't you? "

" So we're going to visit him? " Lily asked, raising his eyebrows

It was agreed at once, and the three of them were escorted outside to a docking bay just outside.

" You're not coming with me," the Doctor told Mace, eyeing the gun with a frown, " I'm taking my daughter, my ... " he stopped, glancing at Jack, and continued, " my daughter's boyfriend and my friend but - "

" Aren't I your friend? " Jack pouted playfully.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, " Don't try and flirt with me, Jack," he said, shaking his head, " you're impossible. And yes, you are my friend, so long as you look after my baby. "

Lily was about to protest when the Doctor continued to speak, pointing at Colonel Mace, " I'm taking these lot, but not you. I want to talk to him, not point a gun at him. "

" It's ten miles out of London," Mace pointed out, " how will you get there? "

" Get me a jeep," the Doctor said, shrugging.

" According to records, you travel by TARDIS," Mace said.

Lily laughed loudly, " Please, we're hardly going to take our time machine into whatever hostile aliens are there. Well, I suppose we usually do, but not knowingly - not this time. Can we have this jeep? "

Mace didn't seem to think much of Lily, and he inclinced his head to her, eyeing her as if he thought she was something demented. " Yes ma'am," he said, while Jack tried not to smile at his bossy girlfriend.

Mace shouted over for a young private to join them, and soon a young dark haired man in full uniform was at their side.

" Jenkins," Mace said, " you will accompany the Doctor and take orders from him. "

" I don't do orders," the Doctor said.

" You do to me," Lily mumbled.

"That's different," the Doctor told her, sending her a look that told her to be quiet.

" Good look sir," Mace said, nodding at the Doctor and then at Jack, his eyes passing straight over Lily, " Captain. "

With that, he walked away, and Lily frowned after him. She was about to say something about the man ignoring her, but Jack could read her like a book, and pressed his lips to her cheek, " Don't worry about it, baby," he said, " the man's an idiot. "

She giggled and turned in to face him, curling her hands up in the material of his coat and laying her head against his chest. He took the heavy hint and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him - he loved it when they hugged for the simple reason of wanting a hug.

Over the top of Lily's head, Jack noticed Donna walk over to the Doctor, and say something or other to him.

He soon lost interest in their conversation and his attentions were solely on Lily, who was running one hand absently up and down his chest. He slid one of his hands from her waist to her cheek and took a small step back.

He tilted her chin up so she was looking at him and grinned at her.

She smiled and leaned up to close the already minimal space between them, pressing her lips against his. They shared a short sweet kiss, and Lily sighed happily - every kiss between them was different. Some were a gentle caress, some were playful, others were rough and passionate, but he always tasted the same. Just ... just Jack.

" Are you getting in? " the Doctor called, leaning against the side of the Jeep casually, with his arms folded.

Lily blushed a little, and grabbed Jack's hand, pulling him towards the Jeep behind her.

" Donna wants to drop in on her family," the Doctor informed the pair of them, as they got into the Jeep, " so we're dropping her off before we go see this Luke Rattigan. "

Lily vaguely wondered if Martha - who was still inside the UNIT building, hard at work - had had anything to do with this.

She and Jack got into the back seats of the SUV, behind the Doctor and Donna, with Private Ross Jenkins right at the back. It didn't take them long to get to Donna's home, where the red head jumped out of the jeep and shouted her goodbyes, planning to meet them all back at the factory later on.

" Anyone fancy jumping to the front seat? " the Doctor offered.

Jack glanced at Lily, but she shook her head and looked over her shoulder at Ross, " You go," she said, jerking her head towards the passenger seat, which Ross clambered into without much hesitation.

Lily noticed that the UNIT jeep had ATMOS in, and couldn't help but think that it was a stupid thing to have if UNIT thought it was dangerous.

As they took off again, Jack stretched out, and his arm came to rest over his girlfriend's shoulders.

" I'm going to buy you a present when we get back," he said, grinning at her, " we've been busy at work, you know, thanks to Owen dying and all, so it's time I took you out and spoiled you. I'm going to buy you something expensive and gorgeous to wear for Gwen's wedding. "

Lily shrugged. The wedding was on Saturday, and although she wasn't that keen on Gwen, she knew Jack liked and respected her, so she put up with her.

" So we're definitley going? " she asked, " I wasn't sure if you wanted to go - wasn't sure if that was your thing. "

Jack shrugged, " I probably wouldn't go if I was on my own, but since I've got you, I can see very little harm in it. I quite fancy going to a wedding with my girlfriend, and watching someone else be happy. Thinking that one day ... " he lowered his voice, " it might be us getting married. " He shrugged again, " Plus it's a day off work and and excuse to dance with you. "

Lily smiled faintly. She and Jack had discussed marriage once - just after the whole year with the Master. Jack had told her he wanted to marry her one day, but they agreed they both needed some time to heal from the Year That Never Was. They had forever to spend together, and had come to an agreement that they would one day get married, but they had such a long time ahead of them, that it didn't matter if they didn't do it for a while yet.

" Have you got something to wear too? " Lily asked, " and don't be spending loads on me - I don't want you for your money, kitten. "

Jack shrugged, " Doesn't matter what I look like. And I just want to spoil you rotten, so you're going to let me. "

Lily grinned, " You're the best," she said, leaning closer to him, " and I must request that we have a dance or two, or five or six together at this wedding. "

Dancing was their thing - the first time they met, they'd danced together on top of his spaceship, and when they were reunited and moved into the hub together, they often danced together, to relive it all, and to spend some time together.

" You can have as many dances as you like, baby," Jack promised her, " you can have anything you want. "

She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent lightly. The always smelled so fantastic - those pheremones were amazing (if slightly dangerous, she sometimes thought) His pheremones had the ability to reduce her to an incoherent wreck with a couple of kisses.

" Love you," Jack mumbled, kissing the top of her head.

" I love you," she replied quietly, resting her hand on his thigh.

Jack glanced at the Doctor, who was concentrating on the roads, and driving almost as fast as Jack drove the SUV. He smirked and laid his hand over Lily's, sliding it slightly further up his thigh.

When it was dangerously high up, Lily shook her head at him and took her hand away, crossing her arms over her chest. Jack pouted a little, but Lily ignored him.

After a minute or so, she let her hand rest on his leg, where it remained until the Jeep spun around a sharp corner and they pulled up outside a large building.

" Here we are," Private Ross Jenkins said, " Rattigan Academy. "

Lily looked up at the large building, surrounded by lush green land, and she left the Jeep before Jack did, coming to stand beside Ross and the Doctor.

The Doctor offered out his arm to his daughter, who, with a little shrug to Jack, slid her arm through her fathers. The time lord loved to have his daughter back with him, and he planned on relishing every moment of the adventure.

The four of them walked up the drive and to the pavement, where a dark haired young man stood with his back to them.

The Doctor nodded at the several teenagers who ran past them in red shorts and polo shirts. " Is it PE? " he grinned, " I wouldn't mind a kick-around. "

The young man turned around to look at them, his face completely blank.

" I suppose you're the Doctor," he said.

The Doctor nodded, dropping Lily's arm, though she stayed at his side. " Yep," he replied.

" Your commanding officer phoned ahead," Luke said.

Lily smirked as the Doctor replied, " Oh, I don't have a commanding officer. Oh, and this beautiful thing is Lily," Lily smiled a little, while the Doctor turned around to point at the others, " that's Jack, and this is Ross. C'mon Ross, don't be shy - say hello. "

" Afternoon, sir," nodded Ross.

Without warning, the Doctor ran over to the main doors, leaving the others to follow on behind him. " Come on! " the Doctor shouted, " let's have a look! I can smell genius ... in a good way. "

Rattigan didn't seem best pleased to have them there, but nonetheless, he led them around the corridors, and into one of the labs, where students were working on complicated looking projects.

The Doctor was examining something, and Lily came over to look over his shoulders.

" Ooh, that's clever," Lily said, pulling a face.

The Doctor nodded at Luke, " Gravity stimulators! Terraforming, nanospheres, nano-tech construction! Ha-ha, this is brilliant! But you know, with equipment like this, you could, oh I don't know, go to a different planet ... or something. "

" If only that was possible," Luke said simply.

" If only that were possible," the Doctor repeated, " conditional clause. "

" I think you'd better come with me," Luke said.

They walked out of the lab and Luke led them to new rooms and down new corridors. The building was huge and vast, but the interior was dark and the whole place had an imposing feel to it.

Her hand brushed against Jack's as they walked side by side, and he took hold of it. She smiled and curled her fingers around his hand in response. Jack smiled a little - because her time lord temperature meant she was a little colder than humans skin, he constantly worried that she might be too cold, and was overcome by the urge to wrap his arms around her and warm her up.

They were led into Luke's own quarters, where the teen turned to face the Doctor, " Well," he said, " you're smarter than the usual UNIT grunts, I'll give you that. "

The first thing Lily noticed in the room, was a large pod sort of thing in the corner. She recognised it as a teleport pod at once, but wasn't sure if Luke knew what it was, so said nothing. Her father turned around and caught her eye, and without Luke seeing, threw her a little wink. Lily glanced at Jack and then at the teleport pod, and he nodded silently.

Luke seemed to notice their interest in at, as he glared at them all.

" He called you a grunt," the Doctor told Ross, before telling luke, " Don't call Ross a grunt, he's nice. We like Ross. "

Jack grinned, " Oh, we like Ross," he said, looking the younger man up and down.

Lily smacked his chest playfully, to which he groaned in mock-pain, though she followed it up with her own little look of the other man.

At home, she and Jack were always teasing each other about their feelings for their collegues. Although they felt no feelings for anyone other than each other, they teased each other and made fun. Lily would catch Jack making a flirtatious comment to Tosh or Gwen, so she'd reply by looking Ianto and Owen up and winking at them.

" Look at this place," the Doctor said, drawing Lily out of her thoughts.

" What exactly do you want? " Luke demanded, annoyed.

" I was just thinking, what a responsible 18 year old you are," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes, " Inventing zero-carbon cars, saving the world. My daughter was more bothered about running around and causing chaos at your age. "

" Was not," Lily muttered, though only Jack heard.

" It takes a man with a vision," Luke said.

" Mmm," the Doctor nodded, " Cause ATMOS means more people driving, more cars, more petrol, and the result: the oil's going to run out faster than ever. The ATMOS system could make things worse. "

" Yeah, well, that's an autology," Luke shrugged, " You can't say ATMOS system, cause it stands for Atmospheric Emission System. So you're saying "Atmospheric Emission System System. Understand? "

" I don't think I like your attitude," Lily said, taking a step forward, " You can't talk to him like that. "

" I think I can do what I like," Luke said, glaring at her, " and I'm right. "

The Doctor looked at him, " Not easy, is it, being clever? You look at the world and you connect things - random things - and think "why can't anyone else see it? The rest of the world is so slow." "

" Yeah," he said.

" And you're on your own," the Doctor said.

" I know. "

" But not with this," the Doctor said, pulling out an ATMOS device that he'd picked up earlier, from his coat. " Cause there's no way that you invented this single-handed. It might be earth technology, but that's like finding a mobile phone in the middle ages. "

Lily was starting to understand where her dad was going with this - he thought Luke had had help from something else. And the teleport pod had something to do with it - Luke seemed very protective of it.

" No, no," the Doctor said, looking at Lily, who took a few steps towards the teleport pod. " I'll tell you what it's like. It's like having one of these in your front room. "

" Why, what is it? " Private Ross Jenkins asked.

" Just looks like a thing, doesn't it? " Lily shrugged, loving having an adventure to work on, " People don't question things. They think "oh, it's just a thing.""

" Leave it alone," Luke snapped, as Lily moved even closer, her father right behind her.

The Doctor laid a hand in the small of Lily's back, deciding that if they were going to have a look, he might as well push her in and take her with him - just for a little look, since she was right in front of him anyway.

He nudged Lily forwards so she was stood in the pod, and stepped in behind her " But we're not just people," he said, taking over from Lily's words, " so, I make these connections, press some buttons, and this looks like, to me, a teleport pod. "

He connected some wires and pressed a few buttons, and the teleport pod lit up.

A whirring noise started up, and all of a sudden, Lily found herself standing in a teleport pod, looking out onto a bright white spaceship. The Doctor took a step out, and Lily followed.

A full row of alien creatures stood there watching them, all fully armoured. Lily frowned - brilliant. Just what you want to walk in on - and why were they there anyway?

Lily recognised them as Sontarans - she'd only come across them once before, and she could barely remember it, but she knew she and her dad had some across them before.

" Oh," the Doctor muttered.

" We have an intruder! " shouted one of the sontarans as they all noticed him.

" How did he get in? " the Doctor asked, putting a hand on Lily's arm and closing his hand around her wrist. " In-tru-da window? "

Lily scoffed at the bad joke as the Doctor called, " Bye-bye! "

The pair of them looked at each other and knew what to do. They ran off back into the teleport and it teleported while they ran. They ran out of the teleport, now back in Luke's quarters at the Rattigan Academy.

Lily ran out first, and ran almost straight into Jack's arms, as he'd been standing outside the teleport she'd disappared into. He immediately enveloped her in his arms and muttered worried words into her ear, including "Don't ever disappear on me like that again" and "so worried about you." Lily calmed him immediately by kissing his cheek and mumbling,

" Shhhh, kitten. Don't worry about me - look, I'm fine," she said quickly.

He nodded, and she smiled, finding his little panics about her really cute, though she didn't want to worry him.

The Doctor also exited the pod and said quickly, " Ross, get yourself to the jeep. Luke, you'd better come with me. Lils, Jack, out, to safety. "

" With all due respect Doc, I wana be where the action is," Jack said confidently.

" Me too," Lily said, shaking off his worries about her.

The Doctor had no time to reply, as one of the Sontarans - whom Lily thought she'd heard the others refer to as General Stall - had appeared in the pod. The Doctor quickly fixed the controls with his screwdriver so the Sonataran was stuck.

" Sontaran! " the Doctor shouted, pointing at Staal, " That's your name, eh? How did I know that? Fascinating, isn't it? Isn't that worth keeping me alive? "

Ross, who live everyone else, had refused to leave, pointed his gun at General Staal. " I order you to surrender in the name of the United Intelligence Taskforce. "

" That's not going to work," the Doctor told Ross, as Lily watched in interest. To Staal, he added, " Cordalaine signal, am I right? " To Ross, he said, " Copper excitation stopping the bullets. "

" How do you know so much? " General Staal demanded.

" Well ... " the Doctor said, walking around the room and drawing it out, much to Lily's amusement.

" Who is he? " Staal demanded of Luke, leaving Lily wondering what was going on between them all.

" He didn't give a name," Luke shrugged.

The Doctor leant back against a desk and said, " This is typical Sontaran behaviour, is it? Hiding? Using teenagers? Stopping bullets? A Sontaran should fight with dignity! Shame on you! "

" You dishonour me! " Staal snapped.

" Then show yourself," the Doctor demanded.

" I will look into my enemy's eyes," Staal vowed, as Lily moved in to look closer. She both heard and felt Jack behind her, and liked the way he was always so close by and ready to care for her.

He brushed his hand against her lower back, and it rested there as they both - as well as the others in the room - watched General Staal carefully, with a great sense of aniticipation. Lily had seen the Sontarans before, but could barely remembered, and waited to see if they had evolved.

Staal slowly removed his helmet to reveal a brown, dome-shaped head, with no neck.

" Oh my God," Ross muttered, as Jack raised his eyebrows.

" What's your name? " Lily asked quietly.

Staal raised his head proudly, " General Staal of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet. Staal the Undefeated. "

The Doctor made a face, leaning casually against a desk, " That's not a very good nickname. What if you did get defeated? "Staal-the-not-so-quite-undefeated-but-never-mind." "

Jack scoffed, " Funny looking guy isnt he? Sort of like a baked potato. A talking baked potato - don't come aross many of those. "

Lily rolled her eyes in response and shook her head at him, " Now now, kitten, where are your manners? "

Jack didn't reply, and the Doctor drew attention to himself by bouncing a ball on a tennis racket that he'd found behind the desk. " The Sontarans are the finest soldiers in the galaxy. Dedicated to a life of warfare. A clone race grown in batches of millions with only one weakness - "

" Sontarans have no weakness! " Staal insisted, while Lily smirked at her father's antics.

" No, it's a good weakness," the Doctor shrugged.

" Aren't you meant to be clever?" Luke asked, glaring at the Doctor, " only an idiot would provoke him. "

" Shut it," Lily said, glaring at Luke in response - no-one was allowed to talk to her dad like that if they weren't joking and were strangers.

The Doctor continued, " But the Sontarans are fed by a probic vent in the back of the neck. That's their weak spot, which means they always have to face their enemy in battle. Isn't it brilliant? They can never face their enemy. "

" We stare into the face of death," Staal said.

Lily noticed her father's glint in the eye and a moment later, he said, " Yeah? Well, stare at this. "

He hit the ball in his hand with the racket in the other. It bounced straight off the teleport pod and hit Staal's probic vent, making him stagger around. The Doctor snatched up Lily's hand and shouted, " Out, out, _out_! "

The Doctor, Lily, Jack and Ross ran from the room as fast as they could, while Luke shouted after them loudly. They ran through the Rattigan Academy at full pelt until they got back to the Jeep.

Ross got behind the wheel, and Jack almost shoved Lily into the back, and followed her quickly.

They took off down the road at top speed, with the Doctor speaking into the radio to get them in touch with the base at UNIT. It didn't seem to be working, and the sat-nav in the ATMOS system was guiding them.

" Why isn't it working? " Lily asked, leaning over and putting her head between the Doctor and Ross. She pulled her laser spanner from her pocket and pointed it at the radio.

" That won't be any good," the Doctor said.

She shrugged and leaned back in her seat.

" Then why isn't it working? " Jack asked, " could it have been tampered with? By one of Luke's people? "

" It must be the Sontarans," the Doctor replied, looking over his shoulder at Jack," if they can trace the signal, they can isolate the ATMOS. "

The ATMOS told them to turn left.

" What if we disobey it?" Lily said, " It's out to get us - maybe we can over-ride it? "

" Yes," the Doctor agreed, " Ross, try going right. "

" But it says left," the young private replied.

" I know. So go right. "

Ross tried to, but then lifted his hands from the wheel. Lily's eyes widened as she realised they needed to get out before the car veered off and killed them all.

Ross was panicking and shouted, " I've got no control! It's driving itsel. It won't stop. "

Jack curled one arm around Lily's shoulders and pulled her to him as he tried to open the door, only to find that it was locked. That only made him hold Lily closer to him, as he smoothed her hair down with one hand before desperately trying the doors again.

The Doctor groaned and aimed his screwdriver at the ATMOS while Lily tried the doors with the spanner, only to find that they were all deadlocked.

" It's deadlocked! " she said desperately.

" I know! " the Doctor replied, " but I can't stop it! "

The jeep suddenly swerved to the left at top speed - Lily couldn't help but notice that it was even faster than the way the Torchwood SUV was driven. Gwen drove slowly, while Tosh and Ianto had no interest in driving it, Lily drove quite fast, Owen faster, and Jack like a maniac. She was sometimes certain that Jack drove so fast especially when she was sat in the passenger seat, so she'd squeal and cling to his arm.

" Do something! " Lily shouted at her dad as they Jeep swerved completely off the road and started heading down a fast hill, towards a river. Lily's eyes widened in panic as she continued to try the doors, though it was no good.

She knew Jack wouldn't die - or at least, stay dead - but she also knew how much pain it caused him to come back to life, so she didn't want anything to happen. And if she or her father were so badly injured, they might have to regenerate - which was basically dying and becoming a hwle new person.

She sometimes thought she might like to become a new regeneration because she'd had the same single body for so long, and felt it was time for change. But she was also worried that if she had a new look and a new personality, Jack might not feel the same about her.

She looked around in a panic as the jeep continued to hurtle towards the river.

" ATMOS," the Doctor said, adressing the sat-nav box, " are you programmed to contradict my orders? "

" Confirmed," it said.

" Anything I say, you'll ignore it? " the Doctor pressed.

" Confirmed. "

" Then drive into the river! " the Doctor shouted, making Ross stare at him, while Lily began to think about it, deciding it was rather a good idea, once she had a split second to think about it.

Jack's arm was so tightly clamped around Lily's shoulder that she felt she might be glued to him. His lips had been buried in her hair a second or so before, but now he was watching the Doctor.

" I order you to drive into the river! " the Doctor demanded, " Do it! Drive into the river! "

The Jeep suddenly squealed to a halt right at the rivers edge, and the doors clicked. Lily threw hers up, and instinctively ran away from the jeep as fast as she could.

The Doctor looked around wildly for Lily and would have grabbed her to ensure her safety if he didn't know Jack already had it covered - both men knew perfectly well that she could take care of herself, but couldn't stop themselves being so concerned for her that they were always somewhere close by.

Lily wasn't thinking as she ran, and an arm was tightly around her waist, dragging her forwards even faster than she could move hersel, and Jack was almost carrying her as he pushed her forwards.

" Get down! " the Doctor shouted, as they could hear the ATMOS behind them going haywire.

Lily didn't need to worry about herself getting down because Jack forced her to the ground with excessive force. He landed half beside her and half on top of her, and although she was relieved to be out of the way, she was annoyed by his force - her body ached from the way she'd landed and she really thought she'd have managed fine on her own.

She put her head down, and heard the ATMOS becoming increasingly higher pitched, until suddenly there was a very quiet spark and hiss.

Lily lifted her head up and looked around at the same time as her dad.

" Oh," the Doctor said, both disappointed and suprised, " is that it? "

Lily groaned and sat up, " All that dramatic build up for _that? _Kind of an anti-climax._"_

The Doctor got to his feet and went to examine to remains of the ATMOS, while Ross followed him. Lily got to her feet, and frowned at Jack, who was stood in front of her, with a worried expression.

" Baby?" he asked carefully, noting the look on her face, and bracing himself.

Lily glared at him, " You over-protective idiot," she said, moving closer and slapping his arm.

" Ow! " he complained, rubbing the arm in question, " what was that for? "

" Pay back," Lily replied, hands on her hips - she loved that Jack cared for her so much to always look after her, but she sometimes felt that he went into things too quickly, and was too rash. She sometimes wished that he took a minute to remember that she was capable of running for herself - it wasn't even as if they were going to run far!

Jack pouted at her, and she shook her head, " Don't you pull that face at me, " she said, " you just shoved me to the floor - it hurt! I think I landed funny on my arm - and I just slammed onto my front and all my ribs hurt and - _why are you laughing? "_

Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair, " Baby," he said, " I'll admit that I'm a bit rash sometimes, but for all I knew, the jeep was going to blow up! You could have been killed! "

" I wouldn't die! " she told him.

" I know," he replied with a sigh, " but you've only got 13 lives, as far as we know - don't lose one. I ... I love you completely and utterly how you are, so how the hell am I supposed to think about losing you? Sometimes you scare the hell out of me. "

The scared look on his face was vunerable and a change from his usual confident and smooth demeanour. She sighed - he was so utterly adorable when he pouted that she could find no way to stay mad at him, and usually she liked him being macho and in charge.

His little panics over her could be cute in a strange way too.

Lily couldn't be mad, and she nodded, " I know, but I'm fine, aren't I? Probably going to be a little bruised tomorrow, but we can live with that. "

She smiled a little and stepped closer to him. She looked up at him and stuck her bottom lip out in a way she knew would make him smile, and she laid her hands flat on his chest.

" You know," she said, " I can't be mad at you for caring so much. There are plenty of worse qualities that you could have. " She ran her hands up his chest, over his shoulders and linked them at the back of his neck, looking up at him. " Can I say something really soppy and you won't laugh at me? "

" Always," he said solemnly, closing his arms around her waist and looking into her eyes.

" You're the best boyfriend that anyone could even dream of," she said, blushing a little.

" Now, why would I laugh at that? " Jack asked, leaning in and resting his forehead against hers. Whispering, he asked, " Better than Shakespeare? "

" Yeah," she said.

" Better than ... Jesus? "

" Jesus was never my boyfriend - I only met him once," Lily mumbled, " But ... yeah, I suppose. "

He grinned, " Better than ... Casanova? "

Lily raised her eyebrows in suprise

Jack smirked, " Yeah, I know about him. Owen told me about your little encounter with the world's greatest lover. You really shouldn't tell Owen stories like that. "

Lily tilted her head and kissed the tip of his nose. " Casanova ain't got nothing on you, Jack. You're ... God, you're so ... Jack. "

He chuckled and brushed his lips against hers in the briefest of kisses, before fixing his arm around her waist as they walked back to the Doctor and Ross, who were stood at the jeep.

" Are you alright, Lils? " the Doctor asked with a fond smile.

She smiled warmly, " I'm always alright, Daddy," she said.

The Doctor wasn't at all a believer of this, because he'd seen his baby go through all sorts of things and knew she wasn't always alright, but right now, he believed she was fine - he'd never seen her smile the way she did when she was with Jack.

" What now? " Lily asked, " are we going back to the base? "

" We're going to pick Donna up. "

It took them a while to get back to the Noble's Chiswick home.

The Doctor was soon examining the ATMOS device and under the bonnet of the Nobles car, while Donna tried to reach Martha on her phone. The Doctor had told Donna all about what was happening, and she was trying to see what Martha knew about it.

" Maybe we should ring home," Lily said, looking at Jack.

Jack shrugged, " Yeah, if you want. We could do to find out what they know - all those deaths at exactly the same time - they must have noticed something? "

" I'll ring Owen," Lily said, pulling out her phone and flipping it open.

" Why Owen? " Jack asked, " Isn't Gwen in charge when we're away? "

Lily shrugged, " I suppose, and if there's an emergency, she'll ring me. I'm only checking in - I'd much rather talk to Owen than to Gwen, if I'm perfectly honest. Or to Tosh. "

" You're not ringing Tosh," Jack told her, " because then you'll be on the phone for hours, gossiping, or whatever it is you girls do. "

Lily rolled her eyes at him and dialled the number for the phone that sat on Owen's desk. The phone rang several times before she snapped her phone shut. She looked at Jack, " Maybe they've had to go out somewhere. I'll try Ianto in the tourist office. "

She rang the phone in the tourist office as that was usually the safest bet to get hold of anyone. There was still no answer, and she shook her head, " I'm not ringing around everyone's mobiles. Why can't they pick the bloody phone up? "

" They must be out somewhere, but don't worry," Jack said, " I'm sure they're fine. "

Lily shrugged, " Suppose. It doesn't matter anyway - I just fancied checking in on them. I should leave a message for them. "

She phoned Ianto's tourist office phone and when the answering machine beeped, left a quick message, " Ianto, it's Lily. Jack and I are both fine but we've come across something ... a bit weird. Don't worry about it, because we'll handle it, but make sure none of you get into a car that has ATMOS, because it's being remote controlled by aliens. Just don't use a car that has ATMOS. "

Ross, under the Doctor's suggestion ran off to find a car which didn't have ATMOS installed, while Donna continued to wait for Martha to answer the call.

An old white haired man ran out of the house - a man Lily didn't recognise. " Is it him? Is it him? " he called, " Is it the Doctor? " He grinned at the Doctor, leaving Lily quite suprised, as he said, " Ah, it's you. "

" Who? " the Doctor asked.

His face flickered with recognition and he straightened up to stand beside Donna and this man. " Oh ... it's you? "

" What, have you met before? " Donna demanded.

" Yeah," the man said, looking at Donna, " Christmad Eve - he disappeared right in front of me. "

Christmas Eve, Lily thought. That explained why she hadn't been there with her dad. She hadn't been to an Earth Christmas since the day they'd met Donna, so her dad must have been since she moved in with Jack.

" And you never said? " Donna cried.

" Well, you never said," the man said. Looking at the Doctor, he said, " Wilf, sir. Wilfred Mott. Donna's grandfather. You must be one of them aliens. "

" Well, yeah, but don't shout it out, " the Doctor said, shaking Wilf's hand, " nice to meet you properly. "

Wilf was looking curiously at Lily and Jack, and Lily smiled a little, supposing that the pair of them looked odd to anyone else. Lily was a pretty dark haired young woman who was wearing a long black trench coat, and Jack was an extremely handsome man in period world war two dress.

" Are you aliens too? " Wilf asked.

Lily and Jack laughed in perfect unison and the Doctor shook his head at himself.

" Sorry," he said, "where are my manners? Excuse me, Wilf. " He turned around and touched Lily's arm with an affectionate smile, " this is my daughter, and that's my friend, her boyfriend. "

Jack shrugged, " Boyfriend sounds so juvenile."

Lily rolled her eyes, " Lily," she told Wilf.

" Captain Jack Harkness," Jack supplied, extending his hand and plastering on his best grin. .

Donna, meanwhile, was still one the phone. She told the Doctor, " She's not answering. What am I telling her about again? Sontiruns? "

" Sontarans," the Doctor replied, " but there's got to be more to it. They can't just be remote-controlling the cars. That's not enough. Is anyone answering? "

" Hold on," Donna said, holding up her hand to him, " Yeah, Martha, hold on, he's here. "

Donna handed the phone over, and Lily listened in as the Doctor gave Martha his information, " Martha, tell Colonel Mace that it's the Sontarans. They're in the file. Code Red, Sontarans. But if they're inside the factory, tell him not to start shooting, UNIT will get massacred. I'll get back as soon as I can. You got that? ... Good. See you soon. "

He tossed Donna's phone back to her and went back to examining the bonnet.

"Anything I can do? " Lily asked, edging closer - it felt stupid not doing anything, but she didn't know what she could do to help.

" I don't know yet," the Doctor said," I don't even know if there's anything I can do. "

As the Doctor continued to work away, Wilf looked on at him in interest, but also in concern. It was clear that he cared very much about Donna and was worried about what could happen to her as she was off on her travels.

" The thing is," he told the Doctor, " that Donna is my only grandchild. You gotta promise me that you're going to take care of her. "

" No need to worry about that," the Doctor said, " she takes care of me. "

" Someone's got to," Lily said, " can't have you wandering off on your own. " For Wilf's benefit, she added, " Jack and I don't travel with my dad - we live in Cardiff. We run a top-secret organisation that monitors alien activity from Cardiff's rift in space and time. "

Wilf looked stunned by this, while Jack folded his arms and looked at Lily, " Top secret," he said, " means that you don't go off telling anyone and everyone. "

" Oh please," Lily scoffed, " his grand-daughter travels with my dad, of all people. I think if he can handle that, he can handle Torchwood. It's not like I invited him for tea at the hub. "

Wilf was frowning as he looked between Lily and the Doctor, " There's another thing I don't understand! How can you be her father, sir? You could only be ten years older than her - twelve or thirteen at the most. "

Lily shrugged, " He's a lot older than he looks," she said with a smile.

There was a pause, during which Donna and Wilf started debating something, and Lily moved to stand beside her dad, looking into the car with him. Jack crept up on the Doctor's other side.

Lily watched as her dad concentrated his sonic screwdriver on a specific part of the grid pattern. A moment or two later, spikes suddenly shot out of the holes in the grid, and Lily's eyes widened.

" Woah," she said softly, " temporal pocket. "

" Hidden just a second out of sync with real time," the Doctor added.

" But what's it hiding? " Donna asked curiously, as she and her grandfather came to examine it too.

There were loud footsteps, and Donna's mother, Sylvia, came outside. She was tutting and shaking her head as she said, " Oh, men and their cars. I ... oh, it's you. Doctor - what was it? And Laura, was it? "

" Yep. Hello," the Doctor said, turning around and waving, before turning back to the car.

" Lily," Lily corrected before also looking at the car again.

" Have you met him as well? " Wilf asked curiously.

" Dad! " Sylvia Noble sighed, " it's the man from the wedding! When you were laid up with Spanish Flu. I'm warning you, last time that man showed up, it was a disaster! "

As if to illustrate her point, gas shot out from the car and the Doctor yelled at everyone to get back which they all did promptly. The gas continued to rush out from the car, and with a bit of the Doctor's tampering, the car sparked and the gas stopped.

" I told you! " Sylvia cried, " he's blown up the car! Who is he anyway? What sort of doctor blows up cars? "

" Oh, not now Mum," Donna sighed, exasperated.

" Oh, should I make an appointment? " Sylvia hissed, before stalking away.

" That wasn't just exhaust fumes," the Doctor said, especially to Lily and to Jack, " some sort of gas. Artificial fumes. "

Lily understood exactly what was happening, and she frowned, " But then ... it's poisonous. They've got poisonous gas in almost every single car on Earth. " She looked around and saw that every car on the street had an ATMOS sticker in the window. This was ridiculous - they couldn't go anywhere without finding complete chaos.

Wilf moved too fast for anyone to stop him, saying something about getting the car off the street and to safety. He got into the car, and the doors automatically locked behind him.

Donna shouted her protests at him as the car started, and thick exhaust smoke came out of the tailpipe.

Lily rolled her eyes, inwardly thinking the man a bit stupid for getting into the car. They tried the dorrs, but they were locked. The car started to fill with gas, and around them on the street, car alarms were set off, and they were all emitting the same gas.

" It's the whole world," Lily said, looking around wildly.

" Help me," Wilf said weakly, banging on the window.

The Doctor was running around checking on the engine, and Lily leant over the bonnet. She grabbed a handful of wires and pulled them out but nothing seemed to be working.

It soon became clear that no-one knew what to do.

The Doctor moved into the road and looked around helplessly.

" You know," Jack said, nudging Lily, and trying to break through the serious nessof the situation " you attract trouble. "

" Not helping. "


	14. The Poison Sky

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Fourteen

" Dad! " Lily shouted, staring at Wilf, about to choke in the car that was filling with poisonous gas, " Do something! "

The Doctor clutched at his hair, " Yes, but what? I can't always do something - I don't know what to do. "

" Rubbish," Lily said, shaking her head, " you're the Doctor, you can always do something. And you, Jack," she added to the handsome man beside her, " c'mon - think. "

They were spared the thought of thinking of how to get Wilf out of the car, when Donna's mother came running from the house with an axe in her hand. She smashed it straight through the windscreen, and she proceeded to smash up the car, to make a place for Wilf to climb out of.

" My kind of woman," Jack said, looking on, impressed, as Sylvia swung the axe back and swung it to the window again.

Lily raised her eyebrows at him, " Oh really? " She smirked, ready to use her revenge tool - Owen or Ianto. Whenever he made a comment about another woman (or a man) she retaliated by mentioning one of her rather handsome collegues - she wondered how it was that all Torchwood employees were good looking.

Jack shrugged.

Lily smirked, " That's good, because you're really not my kind of man anyway. That gorgeous welshman you employ on the other hand ... in those suits ... "

" You don't think I could wear a suit the way he does? " Jack asked, " oh, I could _wear _a suit. "

Lily smiled a little, " Thought it didn't matter anyway, 'cause Sylvia's your kind of woman? "

Jack smirked that irresistable little smirk and walked around her so he was stood behind her. He put his hands on her waist and leaned down so his lips brushed against her ear, " Baby, you and I both know that there's only one person I'm interested in. "

When he paused, Lily's lips curled up into a smile, " Go on," she said slowly.

She felt him move in closer, and his lips brushed against her cheek lightly. She smiled and turned her head around so she caught his lips, and she kissed him hungrily, her tounge slipping into his willing mouth with ease.

" Oi! " shouted a loud voice, " Romeo and Juliet! "

Lily pulled away from Jack, and turned to see that her father had been the one who'd shouted them - he was now stood with Wilf, who'd gotten out of the car, Donna and Sylvia.

Ross was by the side of the pavement, sat behind the wheel of a black taxi cab.

" Are you getting in or not? " the Doctor asked them both, as they walked back towards the others with no shame at all. When they reached him, the Doctor looked uneasily at Jack, " Do you have to kiss my daughter like that in front of me? "

Jack shrugged, " I suppose I could tone it down, if you want. "

" Would you? " the Doctor asked, clearly looking uncomfortable, " it's just that, I know you're in love, but - "

" But you're jealous that Jack gets all my attention and you get none," Lily finished, moving from Jack's side to her dad's and slipping her hand in his, " happy now? "

The Doctor smiled a little and got into the cab, pulling Lily with him. Jack got in beside them, and Donna took the front seat, after a little hesitation from her mother, but her grandfather's complete support.

As Ross started to drive, Lily looked at Jack, " I don't think I like being referred to as Romeo and Juliet, do you? Just look at what happened to them. "

Jack laughed, " We'd be a rubbish Romeo and Juliet. If I killed myself, I'd come back to life again, and if you did it, you'd just come back with a different face. "

" Cathy and Heathcliff perhaps? " the Doctor suggested lightly.

Lily shrugged, " No thanks. "

" Ron and Hermione? " the Doctor offered.

Lily shrugged again, " Please, I'm an alien, not a witch ... and Jack's not ginger. "

" Darcy and Elizabeth? "

Lily smiled, " I love that book. Jack's much more of a flirt than Mr Darcy ever was, but Darcy has his Pemberley Estate and we have the hub ... yeah, that'll do. "

Jack grimaced, " Does this mean you'll make me read Austen's stuffy prose? "

" It's not stuffy - it's classic! " she protested, " but if you're that bothered, you don't have to read it. We're watching it though - that adaptation with Colin Firth is amazing. "

" If you say so," Jack shrugged.

When they got back to the ATMOS factory, the Doctor got out of one door, Donna out of the front, and Lily and Jack got out of the side. The Doctor leaned over to talk to Ross, " Ross," he said, " get inside the building, look after yourself. "

" Will do," Ross said.

Lily nodded at him, " Take care," she said.

Ross nodded again, " Yes ma'am. "

Lily smiled a little as she moved away from the car, thinking that Ross was a rather nice young man, and she wondered why she and Torchwood never got to talk to anyone this nice - the people they always dealt with were the boring officey people.

" This air is disgusting! " Donna complained, pulling a face, as they walked towards the TARDIS.

" It's not so bad," Lily shrugged.

The Doctor looked at Donna and said, " Go on then, get in the TARDIS. Oh wait, never gave you a key. " He handed her a key, " keep that! Go on, that's yours. Quite a big moment really! "

Donna shrugged, " Maybe we could get sentimental after the world's finished choking to death. "

The Doctor nodded and started to walk away, " See you later," he said, " I'm off to save the world. " Lily automatically followed him, and Jack automatically followed her.

" Hold on! You can't leave me on my own! " Donna insisted.

The Doctor looked at the pair of them. His eyes flickered between Lily and Jack, and as a plan formulated in his head, he decided that he wanted one of them with Donna, and one of them with him. He missed having Lily around, and decided that he wouldn't mind spending as much time together with her as possible before she went back to Cardiff.

" Fine," he said, looking at them both with pleading eyes, " Lily, with me, and Jack, stay with Donna? "

Lily shrugged - she'd relish the chance to do something with her dad, and she knew she didn't need to spend every moment with Jack. " Sure," she said, before turning to Jack. She laid her hands on his chest, her hands curling into the material of his coat.

" You behave yourself, " she ordered with a smile.

" Don't I always? " he asked with a charming smile, willing to let Lily and the Doctor go off without him because he accepted that they needed some time together again.

At Lily's withering look, he added, " I promise. "

" Good," Lily mumbled, reaching up to kiss his cheek. He grinned and put both of his hands on her face before she could move away from him, and he kissed the tip of her nose lightly, making her giggle.

" See you soon," she said when he let go of her.

" See you," he grinned.

" But where are you _going_? " Donna demanded, as the Doctor and Lily started moving away.

" To save the world! " the Doctor called over his shoulder as they rushed to the base. They walked ino the base and started going down the corridors.

Lily pulled out her mobile phone while the Doctor glanced at her, " What are you doing? " he asked her curiously as she started looking through her phone book.

Lily rolled her eyes at him, " If the whole world if choking to death, then I'm going to ring up and check on my friends. Tell them to watch what they're doing. "

She dialled Ianto's phone, since she decided Ianto was the most reliable of the lot of them, and most likely to pick up. She'd already left him a message telling them not to go in an ATMOS car, but god knew what was going on now.

" Ianto, it's Lily," she said.

" Lily," he said, sounding confused, " what's going on? I got your message about not using the cars - about not getting in the cars that have ATMOS installed. It's chaos outside - people are choking. There's something wrong with the air. "

" I know, I know," Lily said, " listen where are you all? Are you all safe? "

" We're all in the hub," Ianto confirmed.

" Good," Lily said, " now listen to me, we're trying to sort this out, and there isn't much you can do about it. Just stay inside and look after yourselves - there's nothing you can do to help us so just look after yourselves. We should be home soon. "

" Alright," Ianto said, " are you and Jack safe? "

" Jack's in the safest place in the world," Lily said with a smile, " he's in the TARDIS, and I'm fine too. And tell Owen not to eat everything in the fridge 'cause I expect some food to be there when I get back. I only did the shopping a few days ago. Oh God, listen to me, I sound like a housewife. Ugh. Anyway, see you later. "

" Yeah," Ianto said, souding both confused and distracted, " I'll talk to you soon. "

They turned a corner and found Colonel Mace and Martha together in one of the corridors.

They stopped running, and the Doctor grinned at Mace, " Hello - we're here. Whatever you go, Colonel Mace, do not engage the Sontarans in battle. There is nothing they like better than a war. Just leave this to me. "

Lily cleared her throat.

" Us," the Doctor corrected.

" And what are you going to do? " Mace asked.

" I've got the TARDIS," the Doctor said, as Lily started to understand his plan, " I'm gonna get on board their ship. " To Martha, who Lily looked at properly for the first time, he said, " come on! "

As they walked away, Lily thought that Martha was looking different. Her hair looked thinner, and she smelt different. It took only a couple of seconds for Lily to decide that this wasn't even Martha - this was quite obviously a clone, and she knew her dad would have noticed it.

She glanced at him and while this Martha clone - because she was sure that's what it was - wasn't looking, he nodded ever so slightly. Lily was satisfied with this, and she decided that if he knew and wasn't letting on, he must have a plan, and she'd say nothing either, to follow his lead.

They made their way back to where the TARDIS had been, and Lily stared at the empty spot - the TARDIS was gone, and Lily's thoughts flew to Jack.

She could taste the air and instantly knew it had been teleported by the Sontarans and she sighed when she thought of what kind of trouble they were in - then she frowned. Surely her dad would have anticipated the Sontarans taking the TARDIS - she glanced at him, and he looked back at her

She knew then that he'd wanted the TARDIS taken, so they had someone on the ship.

She rolled her eyes at her dad before looking away, but she knew Jack was capable of taking care of himself.

" Where's the TARDIS? " "Martha" asked, confused.

" Taste that, in the air," the Doctor said, " Ugh. That sort of metal tang. Teleport exchange. It's the Sontarans - they've taken it. I'm stuck on Earth like an ordinary person. Like a human! How rubbish is that? "

Lily shrugged, " It's not so bad once you get used to it. "

" So what do we do? " the Martha clone, who Lily could only think of as "Martha" asked. Lily frowned as she wondered why they'd need a Martha clone, and she supposed it was so they could get close to the Doctor.

The Doctor only stared at Martha, and then asked, " I'm just wondering ... have you phoned your family and Tom? "

" No," "Martha" said, " why? "

Lily raised her eyebrows, " The gas. Telling them to stay inside - I've rung my friends - surely you want to know your family are safe? "

" Yeah, course," "Martha" said, " I'll ring them soon - but what about Donna and Jack, where are they? "

The Doctor lied easily, " Oh, Donna's gone home, she can't handle this - not a soldier like you. And Jack's gone home too to keep an eye on his team. Right, avanti! "

The Doctor grasped Lily's hand as they started to dash off again, and she wondered why he was lying, but knew she should always trust him - he usually had a good reason for everything, and always had a plan.

Back in the base, the Doctor pointed out Colonel Mace and shouted, " Change of plan," as he strode towards him.

" Good to have you fighting alongside us, Doctor," the Colonel said.

Lily rolled her eyes, anticipating a response from her father, which came quickly, as he narrowed his eyes at Mace, " Oh, I'm not fighting. I'm not-fighting. As in not hyphen fighting, got it? Now, does anyone know what this gas is yet? "

Lily thought about Jack - she knew he'd be fine but was still worried about him, because she was always worried about him. She wondered what was happening to he and Donna right now but tried to remain focused on the situation.

" We're working on it," "Martha" said.

Another man said, " It's harmful, but not lethal until it reaches 80% density. We're having the first reports of deaths from the centre of Tokyo City. "

" And who are you? " Lily asked with a smile.

The man, who looked about middle aged, stood up straight and nodded his head at her, " Captain Marion Price, Ma'am," he said, saluting sharply.

" Oh, don't salute, put your hand down," the Doctor said, shaking his head and jerking a thumb at Lily, " don't mind her - she likes a salute. Makes her feel more important. Anyway, what's going on? "

Captain Price added, " Jodrell Bank's traced a signal, Doctor, Ma'am, coming from 5000 miles above the Earth. We're guessing that's what triggered the cars. "

" Sontaran ship," the Doctor nodded.

" NATO has gone to Defcon One, we're preparing strike," Mace said.

The Doctor immediately shook his head, " You can't do that - nuclear missiles won't even stratch the surface. Let me talk to the Sonatarans. "

" But you're not authorised to speak on behalf of the Earth," Colonel Mace insisted.

" Don't be ridiculous," Lily scoffed, shaking her head at the Colonel, " he can do whatever he wants. He's saved this planet hundreds of times and he'll do it again. "

The Doctor was smirking at his daughter's comments and trying not to, as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and used it to connect the UNIT systems to the Sontaran ship, " Calling the Sontaran Command Ship under Jurisdiction Two of the Intergalactic Rules of Engagement. This is the Doctor. "

On the screen came the image of the General Staal, surrounded by other sontarans, with the TARDIS behind them. Lily looked at the TARDIS, and pictured Jack pacing around the console.

" Tell me, General Staal," the Doctor said, " since when did you lot become cowards? "

" How dare you? You impugn my honour! " Staal growled.

The Doctor smirked, " Yeah, I'm really glad you didn't say belittle, because then I'd have a field day. But poison gas? That's the weapon of a coward and you know it. Staal, you could blast this planet out of the sky, and yet you're sitting up there watching it die? Where's the fight in that? Where's the honour? Or are you lot planning something else? Cos this isn't normal Sontaran warfare. What are you lot up to? "

" A General would be unwise to reveal his strategy to the opposing forces," Stall said.

" Losing then, are you? War not going so well? " the Doctor goaded - something which Lily wanted to do herself.

" Such a suggestion is impossible," Staal said

" What war? " Colonel Mace asked.

Lily turned to the Colonel and said matter-of-factly, " The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans. It's been raging far out in the stars for 50,000 years. 50,000 years of bloodshed. "

" And for what? " the Doctor asked Staal.

" For victory," Staal said proudly, " Sontar-ha! "

The other Sontarans began to chant, and the Doctor rolled his eyes, not at all impressed. " Are you quite finished? " he asked, shaking his head at them in disgust.

Staal shook his head, " You will not be so quick to ridicule when you see our prize. Behold! " he gestured to the TARDIS behind him, " we are the first Sontarans in history to capture a TARDIS! "

" Well," the Doctor said, as Lily began to grow suspicious at the new glint in his eyes, " you're a _Jack _of all trades, aren't you? And that really is a _noble _prize. As they say in Latin, _Donna _nobis pacem. "

Lily turned to look at him quickly, knowing he was trying to give a message to Jack and Donna, and wondering if they were able to watch them or hear them.

The Doctor continued, " Did you ever wonder about it's design? It's a phone box. It contains a phone. A telephonic device for communication. Sort of symbolic. Like if only we could communicate. "

" All you have communicated if your distress," Stall said, though Lily knew better - she knew he was urging Jack and Donna to get in touch with someone and to do something.

" Big mistake showing me my TARDIS," said the Doctor, " cos I've got a remote control. "

He turned the Tv off, no longer needing to be in touch with the Sontarans, and tossing the remote aside.

" That's achieved nothing," Colonel Mace said.

" Oh, you'd be suprised," the Doctor said, throwing a little wink at Lily.

Lily sighed and flopped down into a nearby chair. She folded her arms over her chest, thinking about Jack - obviously he'd be fine, because he was always fine, but all she wanted was Jack. No Sontarans.

" We need to know what the hell's going on," the Doctor said, taking a clipboard from "Martha's" hands as he looked over it.

Before he could look down it, "Martha" said," There's Carbon Monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, but 10% unidentified. Some sort of artificial heavy elements we can't trace. You ever seen anything like it? "

" Must be something else the Sontarans invented," the Doctor said, handing Lily the clipboard to look down, " this isn't just poison, they need this gas for something else, but what? "

Captain Price drew everyone's attention with, " Launch grid online and active. "

" Positions ladies and gentlemen," Colonel Mace said, " Defcon One initatives in progress. "

Lily stood up and glared at the Colonel as she realised what was going on - she'd always been against such massacres like this, but her time at Torchwood has only increased her hatred for violence, since she'd seen so much more, " What? " she demanded, " are you stupid? "

" I beg your pardon? " Colonel Mace asked, looking completely suprised.

" You can't just launch missiles left right and centre! Don't you know what you're doing? " she was furious and she moved closer to him, her finger pointing at her father " he told you not to launch! He's the Doctor - you listen to him! "

" The gas is at 60% density, 80% and people start dying, Ma'am. I don't care who you are, or what the Doctor says, but this is what we're doing. We've got no choice," Mace told her.

Captain Price added, " Launching in 60, 59, 58, 57, 56, worldwide nuclear grid now co-ordinating. 54, 53 .. "

Lily sighed and turned away from the two men in disgust. She turned to find the Doctor standing right behind her and when she backed away, he took over her anger.

" You're making a mistake, Colonel! " he said, " For once, I hope the Sontarans are ahead of you. "

Captain Price said, " North America, online. United Kingdom, online. France, online. India, online. Pakistan, online. China, online. North Korea, online. All systems locked and co-ordinated. Launching in 10, 9, 7, 8 - "

Lily was watching the Martha clone, and wondering why there was a clone and what they'd done with the real Martha Jones - and why the Sontarans, or whoever, had made a Martha clone.

As the countdown reached zero, Lily noticed "Martha" pressing something, and suddenly the screen shut off.

" What is it? " Mace asked, confused, " what happened? Did we launch? Didn't we? "

" Negative, sir," Captain Price said, " the launch codes have been wiped out, sir. It must be the Sontarans. "

" Can we override it? " asked Mace, as Lily and the Doctor exchanged a knowing look.

" Tyring it now, Sir," Captain Price said with a nod.

The Doctor shook his head at Mace, " Missiles wouldn't even dent that ship, so why are the Sontarans so keen to stop you? " looking at the Martha clone, he asked, " any ideas? "

" How should I know? " asked Martha innocently.

There was no time to say anything else, as the radio buzzed, and Ross's voice came through the radio a distinct note of panic through it, " Enemy within! " he shouted, " At arms! Greyhound 40 declaring absolute emergency. Sontarans within factory grounds, east corridor grid six. "

" Absolute emergency," Mace announced to the whole room, " declaring code red. All troops, code red! "

" Get them out of there! " Lily hissed at Mace, " these are people's lives! " Having met Ross, she quite liked him, and because he was so young and innocent looking, she felt a little protective of him.

" The guns aren't working! " Ross shouted over the radio, " inform all troops, standard weapons do not work. "

Lily heard a few of the soldiers screaming as they fell to their deaths, shot by the Sontarans. She brought her hand to her mouth and bit down on her nail, trying not to wince at the screams and trying to keep herself together.

" Tell the Doctor that it's the Cordolaine signal. He's the only one that can stop them," Ross said frantically.

As another one screamed, Lily shouted, " Why are you so stupid? Get them out of there! "

Colonel Mace cleared his throat sheepishly and spoke into the radio, " Trap One to all stations, immediate retreat. Immediate retreat! "

There was static from Ross's radio, and Lily winced, hoping that he was alright - the Sontarans were ruthless and warlike, and Lily hated the thought of Ross being dead.

There followed a tense silence, while the Captain and Colonel monitored what was happening over the systems, and they all waited to hear from any of the soldiers. The Doctor laid a hand on Lily's shoulder and she turned to face him.

He simply looked at her and neither of them had anything to say.

After a moment, the Doctor said, " You make a good leader, Lils. "

Lily scoffed, " Yeah, right. "

" You do," the Doctor said, " you know what's going on, and you're good at being in charge. "

Lily shrugged, " It doesn't matter - unlike you, I don't need to be in charge. When I'm here, there's you, and at home, there's Jack. I don't try to be in charge at home ... it just happens sometimes. "

The Doctor smiled at her, " That's my girl," he said with a smile.

Suddenly the doors to the room swung open and Ross walked in, looking dishevelled, but unharmed. Lily gave him a smile and he smiled back nervously. The Doctor grinned and pointed at Ross,

" There you are! Good man! "

Colonel Mace interrupted them with a clearing of his throat, " They've taken the factory. "

"Why? " the Doctor asked, " they don't need it? Why attack now? What are they up to? Times like this, I could use the Brigaider - no offence. "

" None taken," Mace said, " Sir Alistair's a fine man, if not the best. Unfortunately, he's stranded in Peru. "

" Launch grid back online," Captain Price said.

On the computer screen was a map of the world, but suddenly the screen went black and Lily glanced suspiciously at the Martha clone.

" They're inside the system, sir," said Captain Price to Mace, " it's coming from within UNIT itself. "

" Trace it," the Colonel commanded, " find out where it's coming from, and quickly. Gas levels? "

" 66% in major population areas. And rising,"

Lily sighed - very soon people would start dying, and they needed to do something about it quickly, but she couldn't think of anything they could do - she was sure her father must have a plan, since he had Jack and Donna aboard the ship, and he knew there was a clone of Martha.

" Why are they defending the factory only after we were inside? " Mace asked.

" Because they wanted UNIT here," the Doctor said simply, " you gave them something they needed. Something now hidden inside the factory. Something precious. "

" Then we've got to recover it," Mace said. " This Cordolaine signal thing, how does it work? "

" The bullets," the Doctor said, " it causes an expansion of the copper shell. "

" Excellent, I'm onto it," said Mace, before leaving, the Doctor rolling his eyes after him and trying to warn him again that he couldn't fight the Sontarans.

While Martha was busy, the Doctor hooked his hand under Lily's elbow and pulled her away from everyone else.

" Phone," he said simply

" Bossy," Lily said, rolling her eyes as she pulled out her mobile, " who am I ringing? "

The Doctor took the phone from her and the pair of them left the room and went into Colonel Mace's empty office. He dialled a number and as it rung, told her, " TARDIS phone. "

Lily's heart lerched as she realised they'd be in touch with Donna and Jack, and they'd find out what was really going on. She moved closer to her dad so she too could hear the other end of the phone.

" Donna? " the Doctor asked.

" What's happened, where are you? " Donna asked quickly.

Her words were closely followed by an over-protective Jack, " Lily, are you there? Are you alright? "

" We're both fine," the Doctor said, " We're still on Earth, so don't worry. I've got my secret weapon. "

" What's that? " Donna asked.

" You two," the Doctor said.

Lily narrowed her eyes at her dad, " You'd better not get him into trouble," she said, referring to Jack, " or I'm going to kill you. "

She heard Jack's laugh - one of her favourite sounds ever - and he said, " Don't worry about me, baby. I'm always in trouble, so what difference will one more time make? "

The Dotor cleared his throat, " I need both of you on that ship. That's why I made them move the TARDIS. I'm sorry, but you've got to go outside. "

" Consider it done," Jack said at once.

" What? " Donna demanded, " but there's Sonterruns out there! "

" Sontarans," the Doctor corrected, " but they'll all be at the battle stations right now. They don't walk around having coffee. I can talk you through it. "

" But what if they find me? " Donna asked.

" I know," the Doctor said soothingly, " but I need you out there. The whole planet is choking. I sent you because you're more use there than you are down here. And I sent Jack because he knows what he's doing - he'll make sure you're both ok. "

" What do we need to do? " Jack asked, in his most authoritive voice.

" The Sontarans are inside the factory which means they've got a teleport link with the ship, but they'll have deadlocked it. I need you to reopen the link, Jack. "

" Got you," Jack said, as Lily strained closer to listen to his voice. There was a pause as they heard the creaking of the TARDIS door, and then Jack said, " there's a Sontaran. "

" Has it seen you? " Lily asked trying to remain calm, though her mind raced with thoughts for Jack.

" No," Jack said, " I take it we'll have to take this one down? "

" You got it," the Doctor said, as Donna hissed, " What? "

The Doctor sighed, " On the back of the neck, there' s a hole, sort of a plug. The probic vent. One blow to the Probic Vent knocks them out. I'm so sorry to ask you Donna, but we need you. Just leave it to Jack if you want. He can do it. "

Donna sounded indignant, " Please, if I'm doing this, I'm not leaving it to some flashy American superman. "

" Hey! " both Jack and Lily protested at the same time.

There was another pause on the end of the phone and it was followed by footsteps and then a heavy thud. " Back of the neck! " Donna exclaimed.

" Wow," Lily heard Jack say, " what a woman. "

" Now find the external junction feed to the teleport. Big circular panel on the wall. Like two Fs back to back. "

" There's a door," Donna said.

" Should be a switch by the side," the Doctor said.

" But it's Sontaran shaped," Donna sighed, " you need three fingers. "

The Doctor looked down the phone incredulously and said slowly, " You've _got _three fingers. "

" Oh yeah ... I am through! "

The Doctor laughed and kissed the phone, proclaiming how brilliant Donna was. Lily pouted and reminded him that Jack was there too, but the Doctor just gave a little shrug, though he was smiling.

The doors opened, and Colonel Mace walked into the room.

" Got to go," the Doctor said, closing the phone quickly and then giving it back to Lily.

" Counter-attack! " the Colonel announced.

" I said you don't stand a chance! " the Doctor snapped.

" Positions," Colonel Mace said, tossing a gas mask to the Doctor, and then one to Lily, " that means everyone. "

The Martha Clone entered the room after the Colonel and grinned at the Doctor, " You're not going without me," she said.

" Wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor said, smiling slyly at Lily before they followed the Colonel outside. Everyone gathered outside the ATMOS factory, including all UNIT personnel, and all were wearing their gas masks.

Lily stood between her dad, and Ross, the Martha clone standing nearby.

" Latest firing stock," said Colonel Mace, showing the Doctor a gun, " what do you think? "

" Are you my mummy? " the Doctor asked, making Lily slap his arm playfully.

" If you could concentrate," the Colonel said in disapproval, " bullets with a rad steel coating, no copper surface. Should overcome the Cordolaine signal. "

" But the Sontarans have got lasers! " pointed out the Doctor in exasperation, " you can't even see in this fog! The night vision doesn't work! "

" Thank you for you lack of faith, Doctor," the Colonel said, " but this time, I'm not listening to you. "

" Your loss," Lily mumbled under her breath, watching the Colonel turn to adress his soldiers, and thinking about how this was stupid, and no-one knew what they were doing. The Colonel demanded that everyone fight against the Sontarans, but was cut off by a loud noise from overhead.

Lily looked up as the fog cleared and she saw a ship hanging up in the air. Lily saw the very familiar aircraft hovering above and her heart nearly stopped at the sight of it - it was the same ship that the Master had taken over, and she'd been held captive on for months.

She'd been bullied, abused and raped over and over again up there and she could only stare at it - by now, thanks to Jack's care, her memories of it were getting easier to push away, but now this reminded her so strongly that she was terrifed.

She could only stare, and the next thing she knew, an arm was around her shoulders. She shuddered a little at the thought of it until she realised it was her dad.

" It's okay, Lils," he promised her, " it was a long time ago. You're fine now. "

" I ... I know," she said, swallowing, before shaking her head, " It's just ... never mind. Are we really gonna stand there and watch them having a war? Isn't that just ridiculous? "

The Colonel ordered the Valiant to start shooting at the Sontarans ship, at the same time that the ground attack started. It seemed for a while that the Sontarans were overpowered, and the Colonel rushed off with his soldiers.

" Time to go," the Doctor said, knowing exactly what he wanted to do next, " Martha, Lily, just like old times. This way," he said, rushing off, with his sonic screwdriver up in the air, directing them.

They followed the signal from the screwdriver and it lead them to the basement. Lily was curious about what was happening, but knew she should always trust her dad to do the right thing.

" No Sontarans down here," the Doctor announced as they entered an empty basement, nd went through to a lab.

Lily looked around and her eyes widened when she saw a boy on the ground - she looked and saw that Martha - the real Martha - was in a deep sleep on the ground. The Doctor rushed to her and started to check her pulse.

" What on earth happened here? " frowned Lily, shaking her head, as she saw Martha in a deep sleep, with some sort of cloning technology attached to the back of her head.

" Still alive," the Doctor told Lily quietly, drawing himself back up to full height, only for the Martha clone to point a gun at his head.

" Put it down you stupid creature," Lily snapped, moving closer to her dad.

The Doctor hardly looked at Martha's clone, instead giving Lily a smile to reassure her, " Am I supposed to be impressed?" he asked the Martha clone.

" Wish you carried a gun now? " Martha clone taunted.

" Not at all," the Doctor said, making Lily rather proud, " you've been doing exactly what I wanted, havem't you? Stopping the nuclear launch. I'm not having Earth start an Interstellar war. You're a triple agent. "

" When did you know? " the clone asked curiously.

Lily laughed, " It was pretty obvious right from the start. Pretty poor attempt at cloning, really. "

" Yep," thr Doctor said simply, " Reduced iris contraction, slight thinning of the hair folicles on the left temple, and frankly, you smell. You might as well have worn a t-shirt saying "clone." Although not in front of Captain Jack. You remember him, don't you? Cos you've got all her memories. That's why the Sontarans had to protect her down here rather than dispose of her, to keep you in here. Martha Jones is keeping you alive. "

He reached to the real Martha and pulled the device off her head, making her scream in shock as she suddenly woke up. At the same time, the clone fell to the ground in agony.

The Doctor pulled the real Martha to her feet and pulled her into a hug, " Shhh, shh, shhh," he said quietly, " it's alright, it's alright, I'm here. "

" Doctor! " Martha said, shaking her head, " Lily! There was this thing, this alien, and .. "

Lily's mobile rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket to see an unknown number - she assumed it must be Donna ringing and passed it straight to her dad, who answered at once.

" You got it? " she heard her dad ask Donna, " good ... take off the covering ...all the blue lights inside, flick a switch, that should get the teleport working ... " a second later, he grinned, " yes! "

He turned to the teleport and started fiddling with it, while a horrified Martha noticed the clone, " Oh my God - that's ... that's me! "

Lily looked at the Doctor, knowing they needed to know about the gas, and she asked gently, " Please, Martha, just tell us about the gas. Come on, please, it's not just poison, is it? "

" Caesofine concentrate," the clone said miserably, " It's one part Bosteen, two parts Probic 5. "

" Clonefeed! " Lily exclaimed at the same time her dad did.

" Clonefeed? " Martha asked, confused.

" Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans," the Doctor explained as he continued to fiddle with things, " that's why they're not invading - they're covering the atmosphere. Changing the world into a clone world. Cos the Sontarans are clones, that's how they reproduce. Give them a planet this big and they'll create billions of new soldiers. That gas isn't poison, it's food. "

" My heart," the clone said as the Doctor went back to his work, " it's ... so weak. "

" There's nothing we can do," Lily said, not really knowing what else to say. She looked at Martha and left her to talk to the clone, instead going off to stand beside her dad. She watched him work and in the background, she heard everything go silent, as asumed the clone had died. She knew there was nothing they could do and tried to ignore it.

" What're you going to once this is up and running? " Lily asked.

The Doctor grinned at her, " What do you think? "

She stopped to think about it, and then grinned, " We're gonna use it, right? To go to ... Rattigan Academy? " she asked, making her dad nod.

The Doctor grinned at her, " By now, Donna and Jack, as I've told them to, should be in the teleport on the Sontarans ship, we press the button and ... " he smacked the button, and it glowed bright blue.

A few seconds later, Donna appeared out of the teleport pod and rushed to hug the Doctor. She was closely followed by Jack, and the moment Lily saw Jack, she darted forwards and threw her arms around his neck, " Thank God you're alright," she said, burying her face against his chest.

" Hey, hey, hey," Jack said, rubbing her back, " I was never in any danger. Don't you worry about me. "

He kissed the top of her head, and she pulled away. She reached her hands out and laid them on his cheeks as they stood together. She smiled and leaned in slowly, kissing his lips lightly.

" I - " she started.

" Love you," he finished with a grin.

" Exactly," she grinned, pulling away, but staying close to him. Jack wasn't having her going far away, and he reached out and grasped her hand, lacing his fingers through hers.

The Doctor grinned at them and moved towards the teleport, " Everyone ready? " he asked, " everyone in the teleport pod - and yes, I know there's five of us, but we'll make do. "

" We are not going back on that ship," Donna insisted, the Doctor draped his long coat around Martha to try and look after her, after the way the Sontarans had treated her.

" No, no," the Doctor said as he pushed Donna and Martha in the telepot and got in after them. Jack followed and pulled Lily after him. Lily found herself pressed up against Jack, and he grinned at her suggestively.

She shook her head at him a little and the next thing she knew, they were all standing in the same teleport at the Rattigan Academy. The moment they stepped out of the teleport, Luke was pointing a gun at them.

Lily rolled her eyes, and the Doctor took hold of the gun, muttering to himself, " Oh honestly, if I see one more gun ... " he tossed it aside, rather unimpressed and stepped around Luke, doing whatever he wanted to.

" Laboratory. Now," he told Luke simply.

Once they were there, it was a frantic race to get everyone together as quickly as possible, to stop the Sontaran invasion. Lily didn't quite know what was going on, but she knew she should go along with everything her dad was doing, because her instincts told her to.

The Doctor, with Lily and Jack's help, quickly made something which he termed an atmosphere converter - he explained to everyone that it would ignite and convert the air, and he took everyone outside.

Once they were outside, all they could see was fog. Donna shook her head, " That's London out there, and you can't even see it! My family's in there! "

" And mine," Martha sighed, unhappily.

Lily shrugged, " Try living in Cardiff. It's foggy and weird there _all _of the time. "

" Hey," Jack said, poking her in the side, " no badmouthing the home town. "

" If I can get this on the right setting," the Doctor muttered, holding up the atmosphere converter and having a look at it, starting to fiddle with it.

" Hold on," Martha said, " you just said that the atmosphere would ignite, didn't you? "

" Yeah, I suppose I did," the Doctor shrugged, pressing a button, which shot a few large flames up into the sky, igniting them. The doctor then crossed his fingers and chanted, " Please, please, please, please, please," to himself over and over as he watched it.

Lily laughed as the fog started to clear and she grinned at her dad, as everyone looked up into the skies happily. It was only as Lily thought about it that she realised there might be a problem, and she only realised in time to see her dad running back into the building.

She sighed and followed him, Jack following right behind her, and Donna and Martha behind him.

Back in the room where the teleport pod was, the Doctor threw the atmosphere converter behind him into the teleport and turned to the others.

" Right," he said firmly, " Donna, thank you. For everything. Martha, you too. Oh ... so many time. Luke, do something clever with you life. Jack, thank you for everything and you look after my baby. Lily ... " he stopped and couldn't find any words. Instead he pulled her into a hug and held her very tightly to him, before kissing the top of her head and tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

" You're the most important thing to me, ever," he said, before turning into the teleport.

" Wait! " Lily said, taking a step forward, " what are you _doing? _You can't be saying goodbye! What ... " she was confused and frowned at him, " what the hell are you going to do? "

" I need to do this," the Doctor said, avoiding her eyes, " Sontarans are never defeated. They'll be getting ready for war, and well, you know, I've recalibrated this for Sonataran air so ... "

" You're going to ignite them," Jack finished for him.

" You'll kill yourself, you idiot! " Lily said, taking a step forwards, " you can't do that! I need you! You're the only family I've got, besides Jack - you can't kill yourself like that! It's ... it's stupid and it's ... selfish! "

"I'm so sorry," he said, and the next moment, he'd pressd the button and he was gone.

This left everyone staring at the teleport in despair apart from Lily who moved into it, ready to press the button and go after him. She was about to press it, when Jack, much stronger than she was, grabbed her around the middle and pulled her away.

" That's my dad! " she snapped at him, trying to shove him away, " I need to go after him - I need him! "

" And I need you! " Jack shouted, louder than she was shouting at him. She fell into silence and he pulled her against his chest, pressing her face into his shoulder and holding her tight, " Baby, he'll get through this, like he always does. Just hold tight. "

All Lily could think about was how the doctor was going to die, and although it was only a couple of minutes, it felt like a lifetime. Lily had moved and was standing in front of Jack, her back to his chest, with his arm firmly around her middle. Her head rested back against his chest and her eyes were shut tightly, hardly daring to think about what was going to happen next.

When she heard footsteps and the delighted and relieved sighs of Donna and Martha, she opened one eye and when she saw her dad standing there, she opened the other.

She stared at him while he hugged Martha and Donna and he then sheepishly moved forwards to her.

She glared at him once she was free of Jack's arms and her first reaction was to hit his arm sharply,

" You absolute idiot! " she shouted, " how the hell could do you that to me? I thought you were goig to die - you're not allowed to die. For God's sake, Dad! Give a little thought to other people, will you? " she sighed and then broke out into a wide grin, throwing her arms around his neck, " Oh, I'm so glad to see you! "

" Ah! That's my girl," the Doctor said in delight, rubbing her back, " now let's go home. "

Once they were all in the TARDIS, the Doctor started fiddling with the controls, and Donna smiled brightly at Jack, Martha and Lily, " So," she said, " what happens next? Are you staying for a while - we've plenty of room? "

" Oh, I can't," Martha said, shaking her head, " I've missed all this, but I'm best off at home. And I'm better for having been at home. Besides," she showed off her engagement ring with a grin, " someone needs me. Never mind the universe - great big world of my own. "

" And you? " Donna asked Lily and Jack, as the Doctor looked on too, waiting for an answer but trying to to show that he really wanted them to stay for a while longer.

Lily grinned at Jack and then replied to Donna, " I've got a world of my own too. Me, handsome charming boyfriend, friends, Torchwood. Brilliant. I'm sure we'll be back soon, but we have our team to get back to. "

" Not to mention Gwen's wedding in less than a week," Jack added, to which Martha nodded - she was unable to attend, as she'd already got a work commitment for that day. Lily had to admit that she was looking forwards to the wedding, as it was a chance to spend time with Jack and have fun - plus wedding were always lovely.

Donna nodded, " I suppose you've got commitments," she said, shaking her head.

" But we'll be back soon," Lily promised, " because - "

She as cut off by the TARDIS suddenly jerking violently and sending everyone sprawling. They all clung to different parts of the console and tried to keep their balance, while the Doctor's old hand in the jar bubbled away.

" What? " Lily demanded, looking around as she was thrown to the ground, reaching out to try and catch hold of the console.

" What? " the Doctor echoed, scrambling to his feet.

" Doctor, don't you dare! " Martha called, " didn't I say I wanted to get home? "

" I didn't touch anything! It's out of control! " the Doctor insisted.

" Here we go again," Lily muttered to Jack.

Jack laughed, " Ah come on, where's your sense of fun? "

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm considering a proposal/engagement and eventual marriage for Jack and Lily soon - I think they're at the right stage to get engaged because they're so solid. Any thoughts greatly appreciated, as are any thoughts in general about the story.**


	15. The Doctor's Daughters

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Fifteen

The TARDIS jerked again violently and those inside were sent sprawling in different directions. Lily landed with a thud against something softer than the ground, and at the same time, felt a pair of ams go around her body.

The TARDIS continued to shake and sudder and she rolled off Jack and onto the ground, but saw no need to get up, since they'd only be thrown to the ground again.

" What the hell's it doing? " demanded Lily, looking up at her dad, who was frowning at the console in annoyance and trying to do something with it, while both Donna and Martha screamed at the violent actions of the ship.

" I don't know !" the Doctor replied frantically, as Lily tried to keep herself from being thrown across the console room, " the controls aren't working! "

He tried again but the TARDIS moved and threw him to the floor. He landed not far away from the jar with his hand in, which he nodded at, Lily following the direction of his gaze, " I don't know where we're going to go, but my old hand's very excited about it. "

" You hand? " Donna echoed in shock, " you're telling me that's yours? "

" You didn't tell her? " Lily asked, mildly suprised, to Donna, she added, " it got cut off in a fight. grew a new one though, so everything was all alright. "

As Donna started to tell the Doctor he was impossible, the TARDIS gave one last rebellious explosion, sending sparks flying everywhere. The Doctor scrambled to his feet at once and ran for the doors.

Before she knew what was happening, Lily was being pulled to her feet by Jack's strong hands on her forearms. She stopped just in front of him, and he put his hands on her shoulders,

" One more trip," he said, shrugging, " reckon we can handle it? "

" Course we can," Lily grinned - she loved spending time in the TARDIS with her dad, and on adventures, and she knew that so long as they were back before Gwen's wedding, they'd be fine.

Jack smiled and nudged her in front of him, towards the doors. He kept one hand pressed against the small of her back in a light gesture to show that he was still there, and because he liked being able to touch her and have her near him all the time. Even after knowing her for months and months and months, his skin still tingled every time they made contact, and his heart leapt every time she smiled at him.

As they stepped outside the TARDIS, Lily looked around and saw that they seemed to be in some sort of underground tunnel, surrounded by junk and old equipment.

" What are we doing here? " asked the Doctor, more to himself than anyone else, " why would anyone bring the TARDIS here? "

" Ooh, I love this bit," Martha said, looking around.

" Thought you wanted to go home? " Donna asked Martha with a smile.

Martha shrugged, " Yeah, I know, but while I'm here ... " It seemed to be exactly what Lily was thinking, and neither wanted to leave when they had a ready made opportunity for a new adventure, though they knew they really should be going home.

There was a loud noise, and the five of them immediately looked around for the source of the commotion to see soldiers approaching them quickly, all armed with guns. Lily rolled her eyes at the thought of yet another confrontation.

" Don't move! " one of them shouted, " stay where you are! Drop your weapons! "

The Doctor immediately raised his hands up in the air, and Lily followed suit at once, elbowing Jack, who did as she did.

" Not armed! Not armed! " the Doctor called, holding up his hands frantically.

One of the soldiers nodded and told the others, " Look at their hands - they're clean. "

" Alright," one of the others - the one who seemed to be in charge - said, " process them! Him first! " he added, pointing at finger in the Doctor's direction.

The Doctor was grabbed by two soldiers and dragged towards a strange looking machine. Lily took a step forwards, but Jack, who stood behind her, grabbed her arms protectively and pulled her back against him

" They've got guns," he whispered in her ear, " for God's sake, don't do anything stupid. "

Lily pulled a face and tried to move from his arms, towards her dad, but he was far stronger than she was without even trying - he very rarely used his strength over her, but in this case, he knew she'd get herself into trouble otherwise.

" No," Jack growled against her ear, " I don't want anything to happen to you. "

Lily didn't try to move, but shouted at the soldiers, " What are you doing? Leave him alone, will you? "

" What's going on? " demanded Donna, as they all stared at the man who was dragging the Doctor. The soldiers forced the Doctor's hand into the strange looking machine, and he yelled out in pain as the machine whizzed away.

" What are you _doing? " _Jack demanded as Lily winced in pain and looked away - she hated to see her dad in such pain and he was the most important thing to her, other than Jack - and even they were on equal footing.

" Everyone gets processed," the soldier - who Lily thought she'd heard one of the others refer to as Cline - said simply. He was the youngest of all the soliders but seemed to be their leader.

" It's taken a tissue sample," the Doctor said, before groaning and letting out a sharp yelp, " and extrapolated it ... some sort of accelerator? "

The machine let his hand go, and he stumbled backwards. Lily was the first to move forwards, as Jack saw fit to let go of her. Lily laid her hand on her dad's arm as she got to him and looked at him in concern - at the same time, the others moved forwards, and the Doctor assured them all that he was fine.

Everyone suddenly went from fussing over the Doctor and his hand, to looking at the sight in front of them - a larger machine was moving forwards towards the processor, giving off lots of smoke as it moved.

Lily watched curiously and in anticipation. The machine moved forwards and once it stopped, they were all staring at it, watching as the door very slowly swung open.

When it was all the way open, the smoke billowed out, and once it had cleared, a young woman was standing in the machine. Lily stared at her in shock - how the hell could she just have come out of a machine. Then it very quickly made sense - they'd taken a tissue sample from her dad, and then this young woman appeared in another machine.

Great.

Lily could hardly let herself believe it.

The woman in the machine was young - she looked about the same age as Lily looked - 23 or 24. She was short, with pale skin, blonde hair, khaki coloured clothes and a wide smile.

" No way," Lily said, looking at her dad, who was looking equally shocked.

" Arm yourself! " Cline shouted at her.

He threw the new young woman a gun, which she took with an even wider smile and held it as if she were a complete natural.

" Where did she come from? " Martha asked, voicing what everyone was thinking about.

Lily exchanged an uneasy look with her dad, and the pair of them were trying not to think the one thing they were thinking. Lily raised her eyebrows and the Doctor nodded at her slightly.

Lily's eyes widened and she stared at the woman - she was clever enough to know exactly what had happened, but she found it hard to believe. One minute, it was her and Dad, and then she had a ... a sister?

" She came from me," the Doctor said, struggling to get his head around it as she shook his head.

" From you? " Donna asked, her voice rising rapidly.

" Doctor, who is she? " Jack asked, before looking to his other side, " Lily? "

" Well," the Doctor said, stammering, " she ... well ... she's my daughter! "

The woman grinned at the Doctor, and it was the exact same grin both he and Lily had, " Hello dad," she said.

Everyone was suitably shocked at what had happened, and Lily couldn't even think about it - she had no idea how she was supposed to react to something like that, and she certainly didn't know what to do or say. Here she had a sister - someone new in her family, someone new in her life - but ... she stopped thinking and turned her thoughts in the other direction. How dare this new girl suddenly come along and be all "Hello Dad." He wasn't her dad! Not really! Her thoughts were conflicted and she didn't know what the hell to think.

The woman joined the other soldiers while the Doctor's companions grounped around him.

" You primed to take orders, ready to fight? " Cline asked the woman.

" Instant mental download of all strategic and military protocol, sir. Generation 500 soldier primed and in peak physical health. Oh, I'm ready," she said.

" Oh boy," Jack smirked, " hot girlfriend, hot girlfriend's hot dad, hot girlfriend's hot new sister. I can't begin to tell you the things I'm thinking right now. "

Lily's hand automatically moved out and slapped Jack's arm in annoyance. He groaned in mock pain, and then rubbed his arm, giving her a little pout, " That was harder than usual! "

" Sorry," Lily said, shaking her head, " I ... this is really weird. I ... I don't know what the hell to think. Now's ... not the time for stupid jokes. "

Jack smiled a little and reached out to lace his fingers through Lily's, squeezing her hand tightly in support. Lily smiled and closed her fingers around his hand in return. He didn't say another word, but held her hand firmly, knowing when she really needed him for support.

" Did you say daughter? " Donna asked the Doctor, shaking her head, as everyone waited for a proper explanation.

" Mmm ... technically," nodded the Doctor, distracted, as he watched the young woman with the soldiers.

" Technically how? " Martha asked, frowning.

" Progenation," the Doctor explained, " reproduction from a single organism. Means one parent is the biological mother and father. You take a sample of diploid cells, split them into haploids, then recombine them in different arrangements, and grow. Very quickly, apparently. "

" Something's coming! " the woman - the Doctor's new daughter - shouted.

" It's the Hath! " shouted Cline, as figures came into view - they were humanoid, with fish like features in the face, and taller than the humans. They were shooting at the soldiers and the soldiers shot back, leaving the Doctor and the others to watch in confusion and back away/

" We have to blow the detonator! " Cline insisted, " and blow the tunnel! "

" We're not detonating anything! " insisted the Doctor, just as two of the Hath grabbed Martha and Donna, trying to pull them away. One made a grab for the new woman, but she kicked it in the face, making Lily stare at her - this girl had some real fighting skills.

" Blow that thing! Blow it! " Cline demanded, as the new woman grabbed the detonator. Lily moved away from a Hath that grabbed at her, and a moment later she didn't have to worry about it, as Jack hit it straight in the face.

Lily smirked at Jack and he just shrugged and threw her a little wink.

The Doctor shouted out for Martha and Donna and tried to move forwards, but the next thing anyone knew, the new woman - the new daughter - had blasted the detonator and blew up the tunnel.

A wall of rubble fell down and the soldiers were sealed on the other side of the tunnel from the Hath, Donna and Martha.

Lily stared at her dad, who had the same look on his face - first, they meet a new woman who they have no idea how to react to, and then, they lose two of their friends and have no way of knowing if they're safe.

" What did you do that for? " the Doctor demanded of the woman.

" The Hath were trying to kill us! " she replied, every bit as fiery as he was.

" We could have thought against them! " Lily chipped in, taking a step forwards, " now they've got our friends! "

" Collateral damage," the woman shrugged in an offhand manner, " at least you've still got her and him - the Hath lost three men - I'd say you came out ahead. "

" They're not collateral damage," the Doctor said angrily, " they're Martha and Donna, and these are my daughter and her boyfriend. Now, I need to find my friends. "

" You're not going anywhere," Cline said sternly, " you don't make sense, you lot. No guns, no marks, no fight in you. I'm taking you to General Cobb - now move. "

Lily rolled her eyes as Cline led them away, and they knew they had no choice but to follow him. Lily decided that this man was safe enough, so she, Jack, the Doctor and the woman followed him through the tunnels.

" So you're my sister, then? " the woman asked, looking at Lily with a smile.

Lily shrugged, " Depending on how you're defining sister. "

" Well, we share a parent," the woman pointed out, " that's surely enough by anyone's definitions? "

" We don't share a parent," Lily said, shaking her head, " he's my dad. He's always been there for me. You're made from a machine - you're just ... generated. "

Jack poked her side, " Be nice, won't you? " he mumbled.

The woman turned her attentions to Jack and smiled at him, giving him a wide grin. " I don't mind," she said, " so long as other people like me. "

Lily didn't miss the flirting in the woman's voice and tried to ignore it. Jack knew she'd noticed it and took hold of her hand, making sure she didn't feel he wanted anyone but her.

" What's your name? " Jack asked her, while Lily refused to look at the girl, not sure how she could feel about this - it was such a strange thing to happen, but she knew the woman couldn't help it, and she'd have to get used to it - who knew, the new sister might be around longer. Maybe she'd get used to her.

" It's not been assigned yet," the woman shrugged.

" Then what do you know? " Lily asked in a controlled calm voice.

" How to fight. Nothing else," the woman replied, with a shake of her head, her blong blonde hair fanning out.

" The machine must embed military history and tactics but no name. You've learnt about this kind of thing before, Lily," the Doctor told her, looking over his shoulder at her, " she's a generated anomaly. "

" Generated anomaly," Jack repeated simply, before smirking a little, " Jenny-rated. Jenny - how about that one? "

Lily looked at him, and he gave her a little look that told her he was only trying to be nice to people. The woman nodded, as she thought about it. " Jenny," she said, " yeah, I like it. What do you think, Dad? "

" Good as anything I suppose," the Doctor mumbled.

" Not what you'd call a natural parent then? " Jenny asked the Doctor with an impossibly optimistic smile.

The Doctor shrugged, " I'm a natural parent when it comes to my natural daughter. You however, are nothing but the product of a sample tissue stolen at gun point and processed. You can't build us a relationship on a genetic accident. "

" We could," Jenny said, sounding a little wounded, and making Lily realise she should try and be nice to Jenny even if she didn't feel like it, and should try her best to make Jenny feel welcome.

" Look," the Doctor said, a little harshly, " just because I share certain physiological traits with simian primates, doesn't make me a monkey's uncle, does it? "

" I'm not a monkey! " Jenny retorted, " or a child. "

They passed through a large archway and found themselves in a huge underground room. Lily loooked around and saw that the room was large and theatre like.

" So where are we, anyway? " asked the Doctor as Lily looked around in awe, and Jack pulled her a little closer, " what planet are we on these days? "

" Messaline," Cline replied, to which Lily nodded in acknowledgement of it, " well, what's left of it. "

A tannoy spoke away in the background, and Jack looked around and spoke exactly what he was thinking, " But ... this is a theatre," he said.

" Maybe they're doing Miss Saigon," Lily said with a little smile.

" What is this? " Jack pressed, looking at the Doctor, " a city? A town, underground? "

Cline had just finished reporting to an older soldiers, and this soldier now walked towards Jack, Lily and the Doctor. The Doctor stood in front of the other two and nodded at the other man.

" General Cobb, I presume? "

" Found in the Western tunnels, I'm told," the general said to them, " with no marks. There was an outbreak of pacifism in the Eastern Zone, three generations back, before we lost contact - is that where we came from? "

" Eastern zone," the Doctor agreed quickly, " that's us, yeah. I'm the Doctor, this is Lily, and this is Jack. "

" And I'm Jenny," Jenny added.

" Don't think you can infect us with your peacemaking," the General warned them, " we're commited to the fight, to the very end. "

" Well, that's alright," the Doctor shrugged, " I've got to go look for my friends, anyway. "

" That's not possible," the General informed them, to which Lily scoffed, " all movement is regulated. We're at war. "

" I noticed," the doctor said in distaste, " with the Hath. But tell me, because we're a bit out of circulation, Eastern Zone and all that, who are the Hath? "

General Cobb told them to come with him, and they followed him out of the theatre and to another room, which was full of maps - this was some sort of camp, and there were people and belonging everywhere.

" Back at the dawn of this planet, these ancient halls were carved from the earth," the General told them all, " our ansectors dreamt of a new beginning, a colony where human and Hath could work together. "

" So what happened? " the Doctor asked.

" The dream died," they were told, " broken, along with Hath promises. They wanted it all for themselves. But those early pioneers, they fought back. They used the machines to produce soldiers instead of colonists, and began this battle for survival. "

Lily frowned as she thought about it, trying to make sense of it, " But ... there's nothing up on the Earth! Why is everything underground? "

" The surface is too dangerous," Cline said simply.

" How long's this war been going on? " the Doctor asked, shaking his head.

" Longer than anyone can remember," said General Cobb, starting to sound reminiscent, " countless generations marked only be the dead. "

Lily didn't look the sound of any of this and she glanced at Jack, who was also looking grim. Lily realised that people were being born to fight, and realised how disgusting that whole idea was.

" Fighting because we must," Jenny said solemnly, " every child of the machine is born with this knowledge. It's our inheritance, it's all we know. How to fight, how to die. "

" What a pitiful exsistance," Lily muttered to herself, earning herself a poke in the side from Jack, to which she swatted away his hand.

The Doctor had moved over to one of the walls and started to inspect a map that hung there. " Does this show the entire city? " he asked, grabbing the others attention, as they too came to look at it. " Including the Hath zones? "

" Yes," the General said, " why? "

" It'll help us find Donna and Martha," the Doctor said simply.

" We've more important things to do," Cline said, " the Progenation machines are powered down for the night shift, but as soon as they're active, we could breed a whole platoon from you three. "

" I don't think so," Lily said, as Jack spluttered at the thought of it, and the Doctor sighed. " I'm not having sons and daughters by some ... some machine! "

Jack cleared his throat and rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, he looked to Cline and told him firmly, " Any kids _she _has will definitley be the product of me. Not a machine. "

" Not any time soon they won't," the Doctor said, giving Jack a stern look - as far as he was concerned, Lily was his little girl, and he still hadn't managed to let go of her. Not that last little bit.

" What's wrong with being part of the machine process? " Jenny asked Lily, frowning at her.

" It's not ... it's not real," scoffed Lily before she could stop herself. She then stopped and shook her head, " I'm sorry," she said, " I don't mean to be offensive but ... it's just not ... it doesn't seem real. "

Jenny glared at Lily, " You're not better than him! " she said, pointing a finger at the Doctor, " I have a body, I have a mind, I have independant thought. How am I not real? What makes you better than me? "

" Well said soldier," said General Cobb, clapping Jenny on the shoulder, " we need more like you if we're ever to find the Source. "

" Ooh, the Source? " the Doctor repeated, suddenly sounding interested, as Lily also showed an interest, quickly forgetting her sharp exchange with Jenny - they already fought like sisters, " I like a Source. What's that then? "

" The Breath of Life," General Cobb said.

" And that is ... ? " the Doctor asked, leaving it hanging

Lily listened, intruiged, as Cline explained, " In the beginning, the great one breathed life into the universe. And then she looked at what she'd done and she sighed. "

" She? " Jenny said, " I like that. " Lily couldn't help but silently agree.

" So it's a creation myth? " the Doctor said with a nod.

" It's not a myth," scoffed General Cobb, " it's real! That sigh. From the beginning of time, it was caught and kept as the Source. It was lost when the war started. But it's here, somewhere. Whoever holds the Source controls the destiny of the planet. "

The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement, and then pulled his sonic screwdriver out, pointing it at the map and twisting one of the functions on it. Lily moved closer as the screwdriver glowed, pulling Jack along with her.

" Ah, I thought so," he said, as more and more tunnels appeared on the map.

" Supressed layer of information? " Lily asked, nodding at it, " wow," she breathed, shaking her head it it, moving closer. " whole complex of tunnels, hidden from sight. Isn't that amazing? "

" That must be the lost temple," General Cobb nodded in interested, " the source will be inside. You've shown us the way! And look, we're closer than the Hath! It's ours! " Looking over his shoulder at the other soldiers, he told them, " tell them to prepare to move out. We'll progenate soldiers on the morning shift, then we'll march. Once we reach the temple, peace will be restored at last. "

Lily frowned at the logic of this, and the Doctor got in there first with the same thing she'd been thinking about, " Um, call me old-fashioned, but if you really wanted to restore the peace, couldn't you just stop fighting? "

" Only once we have the Source," General Cobb insisted, " it'll give us the power to erase every stinking Hath from the face of this planet. "

" Hang on, hang on! " the Doctor said, raising his voice as the General had just done, " once minute ago you were talking about peace in our time, and now it's genocide? "

" You can't go around killing people," Lily insisted, at the exact same time Jack said the same thing. They barely noticed any more when they said the same things at the same time - it was just how they were.

" For us, peace in our time, and genocide of the Hath are the same thing,2 General Cobb said, as though wiping out an entire race was just fine.

" That's ridiculous! " Lily said, " dont you know what you're suggesting? "

" You need a better dictionary," the Doctor added, " when you do get one, look up genocide. " Lily could tell her dad was getting angrier and she sighed as he raised his voice, " you'll see a little picture of me there, and the caption will read "Over my dead body! " "

" But you're the one who showd us the path to victory, with the tunnels," Cobb said, " you can consider the irony from your prison cell. Cline, at arms! "

Cline pointed his gun at the Doctor, Lily and Jack, and Jack responded by grabbing at Lily and pulling her behind him a little, while the Doctor also moved automatically in front of her.

" Take them," General Cobb insisted, " I won't have them spreading treason! And if you try anything Doctor, I'll see to it that your ... daughter, is she? ... dies first. "

" You will not," Jack growled.

" Come on, this way," said Cline, making a grab for Lily's arm. She took a step backwards, and Jack grabbed her arm roughly, and protectively and pulled her closer to him.

" I'm going to stop you, you know," the Doctor told General Cobb, " you need to know that. "

" I have an army and the breath of God on my side, Doctor. What have you got? " General Cobb asked.

The Doctor pointed at his head and simply answered, " This. "

" Lock them up and guard them," Cobb told Cline, ignoring the others.

" What about the new solider? " Cline asked, gesturing towards Jenny.

" Can't trust her," General Cobb said unkindly, throwing her a dirty look, " she's from pacifist stock. Take them all! "

Jack kept hold of Lily's arm tightly, until she glared at him, telling him silently that she didn't need to be pulled around. He smiled apologetically and his hand slid from her upper arm to her hand, which he took rather more gently.

She smiled, and the pair of them were led down the tunnels, along with the Doctor and Jenny, guards behind, at the side, and in front of them, so they couldn't escape.

They were forced into a small cell, and Lily looked around with a frown - this room had numbers on the wall like all the others, and she wondered what they meant.

" Numbers," she said, her free hand moving up to the wall, tracing the outline of one of the numbers.

" Makes as much sense as the breath of life story," the Doctor scoffed.

" You mean that's not true? " Jenny asked, suprised.

" It's a myth, right Dad? " Lily asked.

" Yes," the Dotor said, giving her a smile, which faded as he looked at his newest daughter, " but there could still be something real in that temple, something that's become a myth. A piece of technology, a weapon. "

" So the source could be a weapon and we've just given the directions to Captain Nutjob? " Jack asked, shaking his head.

" Oh yes," the Doctor said simply.

" Not good," Lily muttered.

" No," the Doctor said, " we need to get out of here, find Martha and Donna and stop Cobb from slaughtering the Hath " Noticing the look he was getting from Jenny, he demanded,

" What ... what are you ... what are you staring at? "

" You keep insisting you're not a soldier, but look at you! You're drawing up strategies like a proper general. You're a soldier too! "

" He's not a soldier! " Lily said indignantly.

Jenny gave her a little smirk, " Very protective of him, aren't you? " she said, before turning to the Doctor, and adding, " you're a soldier. "

" I'm trying to stop the fighting," the Doctor insisted, " and I don't have time for this. Lily, mobile please. "

Lily handed over her phone and he took it from her with deft fingers, before flipping it open. He was looking through it for Martha's phone number, while Lily watched him. Jenny's eyes were on Lily, and Jack's eyes were on Jenny.

From what Jack could tell, Jenny was trying to figure out Lily's attitude towards her, and why Lily and the Doctor were so harsh to her. Jack couldn't see a problem with Jenny, other than that she was something new to get used to - he thought it might be nice for Lily to have a sister.

Lily listened in to the Doctor's end of the conversation, " Martha! You're alive! And Donna? ... Oh I'm with Jack and Lily, we're fine, how about you? "

" Jenny's fine too," Jack added, determined that this new creature should feel welcome, because he was certain Lily would like a sister once she'd calmed down and gotten used to it.

" Yes, alright," the Doctor said louder, over the phone, " and, and Jenny ... that's the woman from the machine, the soldier, my daughter, except she isn't, she's, anyway where are you? ... Oooh, that was me ... if both armies are heading that way, there's going to be a bloodbath ... just stay where you are, if you're safe, then don't move. "

He closed the phone and tossed it back to Lily who caught it with a smile.

" Well? " she asked.

" Martha and Donna are both fine, but the Hath are all heading off to the temple, like the soldiers," he said. Just as he finished, they heard a loud cry from outside the cell - a war cry.

" They're getting ready to move out," the Doctor said, " we need to get past the guard. " Outside their cell door, which was barred, Cline stood guard.

" I can deal with him," Jenny said confidently.

" No, no, no," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " you're not going anywhere. This is about me, my daughter, and my friends. You're one of them - you belong here. "

" I'm your daughter too! " Jenny said insistently

" You're a soldier," the Doctor replied angrily, " you came out of a machine! "

Jack rolled his eyes, " Doctor," he said, " you might not have had time to get used to her, but she's still your daughter. Lily, she's your sister. You need to give her a chance. " When neither of them responded, Jack sighed and held out one hand, " stethoscope, please. "

The Doctor, though suprised, gave it over to Jack, who took it ad held it to Jenny's chest slowly and firmly, first one one side, and then on the other.

Come here, and listen," Jack told the Doctor, determined to be the peacekeeper of this little group, because he thought it would make Lily happy to have a sister, once she got used to her, and he'd do anything for Lily.

The Doctor hesitantly took the stethoscope and listened to Jenny's heartbeat on each side.

" Two hearts," he said, staring at her

" Exactly," Jack said.

Lily raised her eyebrows, " Really? You mean she's a ... I'm not the only female Time Lord, anymore? " She had to admit, she liked the idea of having more family.

" What's a Time Lord? " asked Jenny curiously, looking at the others and feeling left out.

" It's who we are," the Doctor said, pointing from himself to Lily, " it's where we're from. "

" And I'm from you," Jenny said.

" No," the Doctor replied, a forlorn expression clouding his face as he thought of his home planet, " you're an echo, that's all. A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge. A code. A shared history ... only, it's gone now. All of it. Gone forever. "

"What happened? " Jenny asked, as Lily kept a careful eye on her dad, and Jack's eyes flickered from Lily to the Doctor.

" There was a war," the Doctor answered.

" Like this one? " Jenny asked.

The Doctor scoffed at the comparison, and shook his head, " Much bigger. "

" And you fought? And killed? " Jenny asked.

" Yes," the Doctor said darkly, making Lily frown at the thought of it. She knew he'd had to fight before, and she knew there had been times when they'd had to let people die to save many others, but she hated the thought of it, and knew he hated it even more. She knew how guilty he felt about every death that happened on their watch, and that was why he tried to shield his daughter from making decisions like that.

" Then how are we different? " Jenny asked.

Lily could see that her dad was affcted by the conversation and she gave Jenny an half smile and shook her head, signalling for her to be quiet.

" Dad," she said, moving over to him, " let's focus on getting out of here, yeah? "

" Maybe we could reason with him? " the Doctor suggested.

Jack pulled a face, " There's no reasoning with some people. "

" Well, we can't get out by force," Lily pointed out, ruling out Jack's usual favourite method of escaping.

" Then that only leaves one option," Jenny said, as the others came to look at her.

" Which is? " Lily asked, noticing the mischevious glint in Jenny's eye and recognising it as something she'd actually seen on her dad's face many times.

" Watch and learn, sis," Jenny said, turning away from the others.

Jenny smiled and walked slowly towards the dor, while the others backed off. Se went to talk quietly to Cline, and Lily couldn't make out the exact words, but she could tell from the tone of Jenny's voice, and the pout her lips made, that she was flirting.

The next thing any of them knew, Jenny's hand had shot through the bars and she grabbed the front of Cline's shirt. Lily watched with suprise, but a smirk, as Jenny kissed him and he kissed back, only for Jenny to have taken his gun in the process and to now hold it to his head.

" Oh, nice work," she said with a grin, as Cline had no choice but to open the door for them and let them out.

" I'd like to have seen you try that," Jenny told the other three as they set off down the tunnels.

" Oh, I could have done that," Jack said confidently, shaking his head with his cheeky smirk.

" Sure you could," Lily said with an offhand shrug, " if you wanna spend the next few weeks sleeping on the sofa, that is. " She paused, and then smirked a little, " or maybe sleeping in the morgue. "

" No thank you," Jack said, pulling a face, " it's cold down there. "

They came to an abrupt halt behind the Doctor as they spotted another guard around the corner. " That's the way out," the Doctor whispered, pointing a finger at the door the guard was guarding.

Jenny's hand moved to the gun and the Doctor noticed in alarm - seeing such a streak in his own child was disturbing. " No," he said harshly, " don't you dare. "

" _I'll _handle this one," Lily said, moving around the pair of them and dropping Jack's hand, " I've picked up a few ideas on how to handle men over the years. "

The Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards, " No," he said, " you're my baby girl, Lily. How about we save the flirting in case of emergencies? "

Lily shrugged, and as the Doctor pulled a clockwork mouse out of his pocket and sent it towards the guard, Jack grinned at Lily,

" Don't worry about it," he said, " if you need someone to lifrt with, you know where to go. "

" You're right, of course," Lily said with a smile, " we'll be home soon, and I can go find Owen. "

Jack pretended to be annoyed, but both of their attentions were caught by a loud noise, and they turned in time to see Jenny hit the guard over the head and knock him straight out.

" I was gonna distract him, not clobber him! " the Doctor protested.

" Well, it worked didn't it? " Jenny asked innocently. Lily couldn't argue with that, and in the brief moment that Lily caught her new sister's eye, they shared a bit of a smile.

" They must all have a copy of the new map," the Doctor decided, " just stay there, don't hurt anyone. "

He moved forwards and searched the guard's pockets, until he pulled out a map and unfolded it, looked over it. He searched it thoroughly and then nodded, " There it is! " he said, excitement growing, " there must be a control panel. "

He looked at the wall and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, scanning the wall with it, while Lily noticed another number on the wall. She frowned at it, thinking about what it could be, biting her lip as she thought.

" They're counting down," she said suddenly.

" What? " the Doctor asked, distracted as he focused on the wall.

" The numbers," she told him, " they're counting down. This one ends in 1-4 and the one in the cell ended in 1-6. "

" Some sort of catalouging system? " Jack suggested.

"Always thinking," Jenny said, " all three of you. Who _are _you people? "

" We've told you," the Doctor said, none too patiently, " I'm the Doctor, she's Lily and he's Jack. "

" Just the Doctor? " Jenny scoffed, finding these people ridiculous, but feeling drawn to them and wanting to know more - she wanted to be accepted and she could tell that the woman was warming to her, the man was fine about her, but the Doctor was going to take some more warming up.

" That's his name," Lily said simply.

" So you don't have a real name? " Jenny pressed, while the Doctor tried to ignore her, " are you an anomaly too? "

" No," the Doctor said quickly.

Jack laughed, " Oh, come _on, _Doctor. You're the most anomalous person I've ever met."

" You're one to talk," the Doctor said, shaking his head at Jack, before pulling the cover off the control panel. " Here it is! " he said.

" And what are Time Lords _for _exactly? " Jenny asked.

" For? " the Doctor repeated, " they're not ... they're not _for _anything. "

" So what do you do then? " Jenny asked him, before extending the question, " what do you all do? "

Lily answered the question, " Jack and I run an organisation dedicated to defending our planet from alien invasions. Dad travels in space and time. He saves planets, rescues civilisations, defeats terrible creatures. And runs a lot. Lots and lots of running. "

The Doctor managed to get the door slid open, and as he did, General Cobb was coming up behind them, shouting for his troops to follow him.

" What were you saying about running? " the Doctor said, automatically grasping for Lily's hand, as he always did, and starting off down the tunnel.

They were soon stopped by red beams crossing the tunnel and Lily groaned, " Oh God. I was never much on a acrobat. "

The Doctor started work on the controls, and while Lily glanced at yet another number - counting down, the closer they came to the tunnel

" Here we go," the Doctor said, pulling her away down the tunnel as fast as possible, as he knew they didn't have much time before the beams came back on. They didn't get very far before the soldiers voices came from behind them, and they all stopped.

" The General! " Jenny cried frantically.

She turned to run back towards them, but the Doctor, still keeping hold of Lily, turned bakc to grab at Jenny too.

" Where are you going? " he demanded, letting go of Lily, who he trusted not to do anything stupid, though he wasn't so sure about Jenny. He realised what hard work it must be to have more than one child.

" I can hold them up," Jenny suggested.

" No, we don't need any more dead," the Doctor insisted, realising that this was his daughter and starting to have some of the more protective feelings he got towards Lily.

" But it's us or them," Jenny whined.

" It doesn't mean you have to kill them! " the Doctor told her sharply.

" I'm trying to save your lives! " Jenny told the Doctor, while pointing at Lily and Jack.

" Listen to me," the Doctor urged, as Lily watched them interact in fascination, " the killing, after a while, it affects you. And once it does, you're never rid of it. "

" We don't have a choice," Jenny said quietly.

" We always have a choice," the Doctor told her, equally quietly.

" I'm so sorry," Jenny said, before turning away and running in the opposite direction. Lily was struck by the similarities between Jenny and the Doctor - both so stubborn and strong willed.

At the end of the corridor, they could see Jenny nearing the soldiers and they could hear shots, though it wasn't clear who was firing them. The beams had come back on, the the Doctor started to work on the controls again.

Lily looked in Jenny's direction, worried however much she tried not to be, and she coul tell her dad was worried too, though he was pretending not to be.

" I told you," the Doctor said to no-one in particular, " Nothing but a soldier. "

" Yeah, but she _is _trying to help," Lily said hesitantly, " she just doesn't know the best way of helping. "

The Doctor sighed and turned back to Jenny, shouting her name frantically. He caught her eye and she nodded at him, but didn't follow he, Jack and Lily through the now safe tunnel.

" Jenny! " the Doctor shouted, waiting for her to come around the corner. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, " you see? " he told Lily, " this is what it's like when you've got kids. Alwayshaving to keep an eye out. Always worrying. "

" You don't need to worry about me," Lily told him.

" I know I don't _need _to," he said, " but I still do. " What he didn't admit was, he still didn't feel like he'd made the final step in letting Lily go, and a smal part of him still felt like she should be with him.

A moment or two later Jenny appeared at the other end of the corridor, at the same moment that the red beams appeared again in the corridor, blocking the way

.

" No, no, no the circuit's looped back! " the Doctor cried out.

" Then zap it bak again," Jack said, shaking his head.

" Controls are on the other side," Lily pointed out.

" They're coming! The soldiers! " Jenny shouted, looking over her shoulder.

" I ... " the Doctor started, feeling lost, " Jenny - there isn't - I ... I can't ... "

" I can manage on my own, Dad," Jenny called out, " take a look at this. "

Lily watched with a grin as Jenny performed a series of somersaults and flips and landed on her feet in a catlike manner, right in front of them.

" That's ... that's impossible," Jack said, shaking his head.

" No," the Doctor corrected, looking at Jenny with a proud grin, as a moment occured between them, and they were now grinning at each other. The Doctor seemed to have realised that he had to accept Jenny for whatever she was, " just a bit unlikely. "

He hugged her tightly, and she hugged him back with a grin, " Brilliant," he pronounced her, " just brilliant! "

" I didn't kill him! " Jenny announced proudly, " General Cobb, I could have killed him, but I didn't! You were right - I had a choice. "

The Doctor grinned at her proudly and then noticed Lily watched them. Lily was smiling too at the thought of having a larger family, and the Doctor, grinned at her, " Don't worry - you're brilliant too," he said, " now come on, we need to keep moving. "

" Come on sis," Jenny said, smiling at Lily, " you need to tell me how you snapped up a guy as handsome as this one," she said, nodding towards Jack, who flashed her a grin.

Lily giggled and the Doctor watched in amazement as his two daughters walked off ahead as if they hadn't a care in the world - he'd never realised how much Lily could do with the female company for someone to gossip with. He tried to remember if he and Rose had gossiped like that, but found it too painful to think of Rose.

As they rounded a corner, Jenny looked back at the Doctor, " So, you travel everywhere, do you? " she asked, having so many questions she didn't know where to start and was torn between whether to talk to Lily first or to their dad.

" Everywhere," the Doctor smiled as they walked.

" And you travel too? " Jenny asked Lily, " with Dad? "

" I used to," replied Lily, " travelled with him for ages, but now I stay in one place. Kind of like a proper home. Love to keep coming on the occasional trip, though. "

" What's it like? " asked Jenny curiously.

" Never a dull moment," the Doctor replied, " I've seen some amazing things. Whole new worlds. "

" Oh, I'd love to see new worlds," Jenny sighed at the thought of it.

The Doctor gave a little smile, " Then maybe you will," he said, meeting Lily's eyes briefly and knowing this was the right decision - she was his family, and she was a part of him. She had to come with him.

" You mean ... you'll take me with you? " Jenny asked, delighted.

" We can't leave you here, can we? " shrugged the Doctor, catching her around the middle as she hugged him and thanked him over and over. Jack caught Lily's eye and they shared a smile.

" Come on! Let's go! " Jenny said, turning on her heel and running off ahead.

Lily couldn't bear to be left out of an adventure and called out, " Wait for me!, " before rushing on after Jenny, to see what they could come across next.

" Careful! There might be traps! " the Doctor shouted after them, though is voice trailed off when he realised they weren't really listening to him.

" Kids," Jack scoffed, shaking his head, " they never listen. "

The Doctor gave Jack a bit of a smile and then asked, " What do you think of her then? Jenny? "

" That's up to you and Lily," Jack replied, " she's your family. "

The Doctor turned his head to look at Jack properly and the two met eyes, " Jack," he said seriously, " you _know _you're a part of this family too. Whatever the hell this family actually is. You've proved yourself over and over and I know you're the best Lily could ever have found. You're family. "

Jack laughed, " Family. Long time since I've had a proper one of those. "

The Doctor knew Jack had a daughter and grandson from a woman while he was seperated from Lily and the two of them had had an argument over it during which the Doctor accused Jack of betraying Lily, but now, they were fine.

" Jenny's certainly going to be a handful," the Doctor said, " Imagine taking her to all those distant planets and places - oh, my God, it's going to be like having another Lily. She caused chaos - well ... you'd know. Try keeping your eye on her. It's impossible. She just wanders off, and argues, and does whatever she wants. "

" But you miss having her around," Jack said as they drew to a halt.

The Doctor shrugged a little, though the answer was obvious in his face.

Jack had been meaning to ask the Doctor something for a while, and although he'd imagined the conversation going one million ways, he never imagined it like this. Then again, while they were here, he thought he might as well just ask - he never was one for waiting.

" Listen," he said quietly, clearing his throat in a nervous way that the Doctor was suprised by - it wasn't like Jack to be so nervous, " I ... there was something ... "

" Jack? " the Doctor frowned.

Jack looked around, and once it was clear that neither of the girls were returning in a hurry, he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a little box that had been in his pocket for a couple of weeks.

He'd made the decision after Owen was shot, but wanted to do it properly and ask the Doctor's permission.

He handed the box silently to the Doctor.

The Doctor knew what was coming but took the box and opened it slowly, revealing the beautiful ring that sat in the box.

"I ... " Jack started, licking his lips before running a hand through his hair. He stopped and then looked the Doctor straight in the eye, " You _know _that I love your daughter more than I can put into words. I want to ask your permission to marry Lily. I know how much she means to you, and how much she loves you, and I want to know that I have your blessing. "

The Doctor raised his eyebrows as he tried to process it, " Blimey. You don't half pick your moments, Jack. "

The two men locked eyes, and the Doctor was deadly serious, " I can't say this comes as a suprise, but it's difficult to let my little girl go. Lily's always been the most important thing to me, but I know you make her the happiest she's ever been. " He closed the ring box and handed it back to Jack, " of course you have my blessing. If she's happy - which I know she is - I'm happy. "

" Are ... are you sure you're ok with this? " Jack asked carefully, though a smile was spreading across his face.

" Honestly, Jack," the Doctor said, clapping a hand to the other man's shoulder, " I couldn't be happier for you both. Let me know when the engagement party is. " The Doctor found that he actually was fine with this, and felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders as Lily made the final step in her move to Torchwood.

Jack laughed and the pair of them shared a hug.

" Does this mean I get to call you "Dad"? " Jack grinned as they broke apart.

The Doctor pointed a finger at Jack sternly, " _Don't _push it," he said.

Jack lifted a hand in surrender, " Alright, I'm sorry. " He then grinned happily, unable to keep the smile from his face, " seriously though, I will never let her down. "

" I know you won't," the Doctor said, " I trust you. "

Meanwhile, while Jack and the Doctor were talking, Lily and Jenny were walking off down the corridor, though there was very little walking going on and a great deal of talking.

" Tell me about this gorgeous boyfriend of yours," Jenny said, " I'd quite like a boyfriend - maybe you could find me one? I could come back to wherever you live - maybe you've got a friend? "

Lily laughed, " One thing at a time," she said.

They spent a while talking about how Lily and Jack had met, and Jenny expressed her desires to travel with the Doctor, but also to come and see what Lily and Jack did at Torchwood.

They were still talking when they heard shooting and Lily quickly turned on her heel and called over her shoulder for Jenny to follow her. They ran back to where they'd left the two men, and found them stood together, both grinning.

" What are you two so happy about? " Lily asked as she and Jenny drew to a halt.

" Never mind that," the Doctor replied quickly, " what are you two in such a rush for? "

" They've blasted through the beam," Jenny explained, " time to run again. Love the running! Yeah? "

" Yeah," the Doctor nodded, grinning at Jenny and then Lily before they started to run off. Jack caught hold of Lily's hand as they did so and she curled her fingers around his hand.

They ran as fast as they could down various tunnels, but after a few minutes of running, they reached a dead end.

" We're trapped," Jenny said.

" We can't be," Lily replied, " we had the map - the temple has to be around here somewhere. "

" This is a door," the Doctor cut in, pushing on the heavy wall and trying to force it open.

Lily, while he was doing this and Jack started to help, noticed another number on the wall, " Down to 1-2," she noted, more to herself than to anyone else, as they were all more worried about getting through the door.

" In. Now," the Doctor ordered as the door opened with a noise, ushering both of the girls in before him, as well as Jack, before following them in.

" They're coming! " Jenny said, peering over the Doctor's shoulder, " close the door! "

The Doctor heaved the door shut and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief, " That was close," Lily mumbled, as she felt Jack's body behind her and took a small step backwards so she was even closer to him.

" No fun otherwise," shrugged the Doctor.

" This doesn't look much like a temple," Jack said, looking around and putting both of his hands on Lily's waist from behind.

" Looks more like ... a spaceship! " the Doctor proclaimed, as he looked around the room in excitement, " could even be the first one the colonists arrived in, but the power cells would have run down after all this time, if that was the case. No, this one's still powered up and functioning. Come on! "

They ran to the other end of the ship and heard a noise behind them, turning to see that someone was trying to cut through the door.

" It's the Hath! " Jenny said, shaking her head, " that door's not going to last much longer. And if General Cobb gets through down there, war's gonna break out. "

The Doctor was leaning over the controls, " Look, look, look, look, look! The ship's log! First wave of Human/Hath co-colonisation of planet Messaline. "

" So this _is _the original ship," Lily said, looking around.

" Then what happened to it? " Jenny asked, directing her question at the Doctor.

The Doctor scrolled down the screen as the others gathered around him, " "Phase One, Construction." They used robot drones to build the city. "

" But, does it mention the war, Doctor? " Jack asked.

" I'm looking," the Doctor said, as they all waited to find out what was going to happen, " here's the final entry - "Mission commander dead. Still no agreement on who should assume leadership. Hath and human have divided into two factions." That must be it! A power vacum! Crew divided into two factions and turned on each other. Start using the progenation machines and soon you've got two armies fighting a never ending war! "

" Two armies who are now both outside," Jenny said, while Lily thought hard, thinking about the numbers - she felt like she should know where they came from. They looked too familiar.

She reached out and touched the mouse, scrolling down, " Look at that," she said, showing them a screen with numbers on just like the numbers in the tunnel, " it's staring us in the face. I've spent long enough trying to work out Ianto's multiple methods of filing to figure out different systems. It's the date! "

" The date? " Jack echoed.

" Yep," Lily nodded, " assuming the first two numbers are the space year, you've got year, month, day. Different way around from our way - it's American. "

" Our way? " the Doctor repeated, " you've been in Cardiff 6 months and you've already turned all Welsh? "

" Not Welsh," Lily said, shaking her head, " but definitley British. Anyway, the codes are completion dates for each sections. They finish it, stamp the date on. So the numbers aren't counting down - they're going out, from here, day by day, as the city got built. "

As the final cog clicked in Lily's head, her eyes widened and she realised she'd worked it all out, " Don't you see? " she said, pointing to the date on the computer screen, " the first number we saw back there was 6012-07-17. Look at today's date! "

" 6012-07-24," the Doctor read out loud, before gasping, " no! "

" What does it mean? " asked Jenny.

" No," Jack said, cottoning on, " seven days? Seven days? "

" Seven days since war broke out," nodded Lily to Jack, " this war started out a week ago! "

" They've always told us it was years! " Jenny cried out indignantly.

" No," the Doctor said as they all worked it out together, " they said generations, and if they're all like you, Jenny, products of the machine ... they could have 20 generations in one day. Each generations gets killed in the war, passes on the legend. "

" But ... " Jenny started, completely confused, " all the buildings in the encampment ... they're ruins! "

" No, they're just empty! " the Doctor said, pieceing everything together, " waiting to be populated! Ooh, they've mythologised their entire history! The Source must be part of that too! Come on. "

They rounded a corner, and the Doctor almost walked straight into Martha. He called her name and pulled her into a hug and then pulled Donna in for a hug - the two women were covered in filth, but nonetheless everyone hugged each other.

" Knew we'd find you somewhere," the Doctor told the pair of them with a grin.

" Ooh, you're filthy," Lily said as she hugged Martha, " what happened? "

" Took the surface route," Martha winced as she and Donna looked down at themselves.

They could hear the shouting voices of the soldiers and knew they had to get going, " That's the general! " the Doctor announced, " we haven't got much time. "

" We don't even know what we're looking for though! " Donna pointed out blunty.

Martha shrugged, " Is it me or can you smell flowers? "

The Doctor and Lily both smelled it too and instantly knew what it was with their heightened senses of smell from humans. " Yes! " the Doctor said, clapping his hands together, " Bougainviella! Follow your noses! "

They moved around as fast as they could to where they thought they needed to be, and soon came across a very very large greenhouse filled with flowers and exotic plants, most of which Lily recognised, some of which she didn't.

The main thing Lily noticed was a small pedestal in the middle of the greenhouse, which had a glass sphere sitting on top of it, containing shining gas.

" Do you think this is the Source? " she asked, taking a small step towards it.

" It's beautiful, isn't it? " Jenny breathed.

" But what is it? " Martha asked, as everyone was spellbound by it.

" Terraforming! " the Doctor cried, " it's a third generation terraforming device! "

" So why are we suddenly in a garden? " Donna asked.

Jack shrugged, " I don't know, but it's a very nice garden. "

" This is what the terraforming device does," the Doctor told them, answering Donna's question, " all this, only bigger. Much bigger! It's in a transit state. Producing all this must help keep it stable before they finally ... "

He didn't have time to finish his sentence, as there were heavy footsteps, and the Hath and human soldiers appeared from opposite sides, cocking their guns as soon as they saw each other.

" Stop! " the Doctor shouted, as they were all caught in the middle of the cross fire, " hold your fire! "

Jack glanced around, trying to assess the situation and decided that there was no-where for them to move to, and nothing they could do, other than to let the Doctor try and talk everyone out of it. There was very little they could do, but Jack didn't want Lily in the firing line.

She looked around and caught his eye. She saw the panic in his eyes and edged closer to him because she knew that would ease his mind. They didn't dare make any sudden movements however, in such a situation.

" Is this some sort of trap? " General Cobb demanded.

" You said you wanted this war over," the Doctor said, trying desperately to keep the peace.

" I want this war won," corrected Cobb.

" You can't win. No-one can," the Doctor argued, " you don't even know why you're here. You whole history, it's just chinese whispers. Getting more distorted as it's passed on. " He pointed at the sphere, " This is the Source. This is what you're fighting over. A device to rejuvenate the planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical. It's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases. A cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution. Methane, hydrogen, amnonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids. It's used to make barren planets habitable. Look around you! It's not for killing, it's bringing life! If you can allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels and into the bright, bright sunlight. No more fighting. No more killing. " He moved forwards and picked up the sphere, " I'm the Doctor, and I declare this war over! "

He threw the ball to the ground, with everyone's attention, and it smashed into many many tiny pieces. A gold and green gases inside escaped and spread out into the air.

Amazed by the sight, almost everyone put down their guns. .

" What's happening? " Jenny asked, fascinated as everyone watched it.

" The gases will escape and trigger the terraforming process," the Doctor told her.

" What does that mean? " she asked.

" A whole new world," the Doctor grinned.

Jenny laughed with delight, and everyone was busy watching the gas float around and make shapes in the air. Lily edged closer to Jack but the next thing she knew, a loud gunshot sounded and when she whipped around to look, Jenny was clutching at her chest and being lowered to the ground by the Doctor, while General Cobb threw his gun to the ground with a satisfied smirk.

" No," Lily shouted, getting down on the ground beside her sister - she'd decided she liked Jenny once she got used to her - she couldn't believe what was happening, and mentally crossed her fingers.

" Jenny! " the Doctor called, leaning over her as she spluttered for breath and struggled to breath, " Jenny, talk to me. "

" Jenny," Lily said desperately, panicked by this unneccessary and unfair death.

Martha checked Jenny's pulse and shook her head, though neither Lily nor the Doctor were paying attention to her, leaving only Jack and Donna to shake their heads sadly.

" A new world," Jenny whispered, lookig at her dad and sister, " and it's so beautiful. "

" Jenny? " Lily said, " don't go. Everything's going to be alright. It has to be. "

The Doctor had wrapped his arms around Jenny's body, while Lily knelt beside them both, all three hoping there was a way out of this. " Jenny, listen to me," said the Doctor carefully, " be strong and hold on, right? We've got things to do, you and me. Hey? Hey? We can go anywhere. Everywhere. You choose. "

" Sounds good," Jenny said weakly, though both Lily and the Doctor knew it was hopeless and didn't konw what to do - they stared at each other and then back at Lily, despair etched across their face.

" No, Jenny, hold on," the Doctor told her, " you're my daughter, and we're gonna be amazing. You, me and Lily, yeah? "

Jenny closed her eyes, and they both knew her life was over. Lily felt a single tear drop down her cheek, though she quickly wiped it away. She felt desperately upset that Jenny had died for no good reason and drew herself to her feet, leaving her dad on the floor.

Jack was immediately there to wrap his arms around her and put one hand on the back of her head, pressing her face into his coat so she could nestle against him and cling to his greatcoat firmly.

He stroked her hair, while the Doctor looked at Martha for support, " Two hearts... two hearts ... maybe if we just wait ... " it was obvious he knew it was hopeless, but it was the last straw to cling to.

" There's no sign," Martha said, shaking her head, " I'm sorry, Doctor. She's like you, but just not enough. "

" No," the Doctor disagreed, " too much, is the truth of it. She was too much like me. "

He gently put Jenny on the ground and kissed her forehead before getting up and walking furiously towards General Cobb. He was panting in despair and pure anger and picked up a gun, pointing it at the general's head.

Lily saw what he was doing and was shocked, pulling away from Jack a litte, though he kept tight hold of her.

The Doctor then lowered his gun and threw it to the ground, " I never would. Have you got that? I never would! " He turned and adressed both Human and Hath, " when you start this new world ... this world of Human and Hath ... remember that! Make that the foundation of this society. A man who never would. "

Slowly, the soldiers and Hath left until there were very few people left.

They stayed for a while longer, the Doctor and Lily saying a goodbye to the woman they never got to know properly, and wished they could have. Cline and one of the Hath offered to give her a proper burial, but the Doctor decided he didn't want to stay - he'd said a goodbye, and he couldn't liner any longer.

As they all made their way back to the TARDIS silently, the mood was dark and sombre.

Once they were inside their ship, the Doctor sighed heavily and started to pull levers, but without his usual enthusiasm.

" Time to go home? " he asked Martha, who nodded wordlessly.

The trip to take her home wasn't long and Martha hugged those inside the TARDIS before the Doctor walked her to her front door and said a goodbye. When he came bakc in, he set the controls going again.

They stayed in silence until the TARDIS landed and the Doctor turned towards Lily and Jack, " There you go," he said, " Cardiff. The day after you left. 9AM. "

No-one quite knew what to do with themselves, and Lily moved towards her dad. She touched his arm and he turned to face her.

She didn't know what to say, and she didn't need to say anything, because he pulled her into a hug which was warm and cosy and lasted longer than usual, " Thank God I've still got you," he said, " I think I'd lose my mind if anything ever happened to you. " He kissed her forehead and looked at her, " I know I said I never would, but if someone had ever done anything to you ... "

" You wouldn't need to kill anyone," Jack assured the Doctor, " believe me, I'd do that myself ten times over. "

" I don't feel like I should leave you," Lily said as she looked up at her dad and they'd broken apart, " I just ... I feel like you've just lost Jenny, and now I'm going off again. "

" No, no, no," the Doctor said firmly, " listen to me, darling. I'm happy if I know you're happy, and I want you to have your own life. This is good for you. "

" You're sure? " Lily asked carefully, smiling a little.

" Yes," the Doctor said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, " I know it's taken a long time for me to get used to it, but you have your own life now. " He dropped his hand from her and glanced at Jack, " does it even need saying? "

Jack nodded, " Of _course _I'll look after her. "

" And I'll look after _him," _Donna vowed, jerking her thumb in the Doctor's direction.

Lily gave her dad a final hug before leaving, " I love you Daddy," she said - she only usually used Daddy when she was upset or they'd been through something really emotional, or she was teasing him.

" I love you," he said, " see you around. "

Lily and Jack left the TARDIS, after also saying goodbye to Donna, and they stood in the middle of the square by the bay, watching the TARDIS dematerialise.

When it was gone, Jack turned in to face Lily and she turned to face him too. He smiled at the mere sight of her and reached out to cup her cheek with one hand, the other hand resting on her hip

He kissed her lips lightly and she smiled, slowly responding, pressing herself against him as he kissed her gently. His pheremones were managing to do their overpowering thing that sent her crazy, and after a short but very sweet kiss, they broke apart.

Jack didn't move away, pressing his lips to her forehead next, in a firm kiss. She smiled a little and he rested his chin on top of her head while she nestled up against him.

" You," Lily said with a smile, " are the best thing that ever happened to me. "

" Come on," Jack said, pulling away from her a little so he could wrap an arm around her waist, " we're going to go home, I'm making you a nice warm hot chocolate, finding you your favourite book and wrapping you up warm on the sofa. It's time you relaxed. "

Lily smiled, thinking herself very lucky, and not knowing that Jack was thinking almost the exact same thing.


	16. Lack

**Author's Note Please Read:** Just thought I'd give you an outline of where I thought I'd take this story next. Let me know what you think, and if there's anything you'd really like to see in it.

Next up will be Gwen's wedding ( possibly followed by From Out of the Rain? ) with Fragments and Exit Wounds _definitley_ on the way. I am as yet undecided about Owen and Tosh's fates in this.

This story should end with the Stolen Earth/Journey's End from Doctor Who, and then I'll hopefully start a new story if people think they'd like to read a new one?

A regeneration for Lily should be on the cards somewhere and Jenny may make a re-appearance somewhere, but probably not until after children of earth.

The story after this would follow Children of Earth, because I've definitley got ideas about what should happen to the Jack/Lily in that, and I'd like to do David Tennant's last two episodes along with that, since they involve the Doctor's regeneration and the appearance of the Master. Ianto's fate is also yet to be decided - some characters may find themselves saved, let me know if you have any requests.

After _that _might be another new story - probably original stuff about the rebuild of Torchwood after Children of Earth and where life goes from there, and maybe following a couple of Matt Smith's Doctor Who episodes.

At some point, I'd also like Lily and Jack to start their family, but I'm not sure where - any ideas welcome.

Hope that gives you some idea! This chapter is just a filler between Jenny's death and Gwen's wedding, so Jack and Lily can have some quality time together.

**Chapter Sixteen**

After watching the TARDIS leave, Lily felt quite dejected and Jack took her hand once they were ready to go back to the hub, and pulled her towards the tourist office, promising that they'd have a day off work.

Today was Thursday, and Gwen's wedding was Saturday.

She smiled as they walked, and once they got to the door of the tourist office, Jack mumbled, " Are you alright? "

" I'll live," Lily answered with a shrug.

" That's my girl," Jack said, as they entered the tourist office. It was empty, and they simply let themselves in and walked through the tunnels until they were in the hub. Lily thought there was something so safe about being in the hub, and she looked around it happily, while Jack walked on ahead,

" Kids! We're home! " he shotued loudly, pacing on ahead when he saw the others gathered around Gwen's workstation, having a drink and a chat.

Lily followed him and found herself very glad to see her friends.

" Alright, spacegirl," nodded Owen, who was the first to turn his eyes towards Lily, and was stood closest to her. She grinned and felt so glad to be home, where there was no war and no-one was dying, that she turned to him and pulled him in for a hug.

Though suprised, Owen shrugged and hugged her back, rubbing her back as he did so.

" What happened? Where'd you go? " he asked, as Lily broke away from him and went to hug Ianto and Tosh in turn, stretching at giving Gwen a warm smile but not managing a hug.

" Far away," Jack replied, " a place where there was unneccessary war. " He shook his head, " doesn't matter now. "

" It's good to have you both back," Tosh smiled.

" You didn't miss much," Ianto added, " we didn't know when to expect you back, but you were only gone one day - you left yesterday, our time. Dunno how it works space time. "

" One day," Jack echoed, though he already knew this, as the Doctor had told them as much, " ah, that's not too long. I think we're entitled to one more day off. Think you lot can hold the fort while I take my beautiful girlfriend out? "

" Sure we can," Ianto replied.

" Jack," Lily sighed, " not that I don't appreciate it, but I just feel ... "

" No," Jack said firmly, " who's the boss around here? "

" You," Lily said, somewhat reluctantly.

" So who gets to decide what we're doing today? " he pressed.

This time a smile flickered across Lily's face and she answered, " You. "

" Then that's settled," Jack grinned, " now go wear something stunning so I can take you out on a date. " Lily rolled her eyes at him and walked towards his office, and as Jack watched her go, he smirked. Turning to Owen and Ianto, he said, " You just need to know how to handle the ladies. "

" Oh, shut _up," _scoffed Owen, " she has got you wrapped around her little finger. "

Jack laughed, because he knew it was true and he went to the kitchen, making a drink while he waited for Lily to reappear. When she did, he wasn't looking, as he was flicking through a newspaper someone had left lying around.

He turned around when he heard the clearing of a throat and he saw Lily standing there, leaning up against the doorway. His eyes moved up and down along the length of her body, drinking in every delectable sight of her.

He knew she didn't even realise how beautiful she was.

She was wearing a knee length red skirt, with a white vest which clung to her body and a little red cropped cardigan. Her feet were adorned with red pumps and she smiled at him,

" I would have dressed up some more, but since it's day time ... " she said, trailing off and ending with a shrug.

" You look amazing," Jack said, coming to his senses and finding some words.

" Not bad yourself, kitten," Lily said, " so where are you taking me? I hope you're making it someplace good? "

" Of course," Jack said, moving forwards and immeidately engaging her into a kiss. It was short and sweet, and once they broke apart, Jack linked his fingers through hers, " today, I'm going to treat you like a princess. "

" Well, then _I _am going to let you," Lily smiled.

As Jack and she started towards the doorway, Lily suddenly stopped and turned back to face everyone. Ianto, Owen, Gwen and Tosh were gathered around Tosh's computers, looking at what was going on, on the monitors.

" Are you _sure _it's alright if we go? " Lily asked, shaking her head, " I don't want you lot to think we're just coming in and swanning off as we please. "

" We're _fine," _Owen said, rolling his eyes at her.

Lily frowned, " Yeah, but - "

" No," Ianto said, his voice remaining as calm and reassuring as ever, while he gave her a faint smile - he'd decided over the months that he liked her and they were a sort of friends, though not in the same way she and Tosh were, or she and Owen, " there's no use worrying about everyone else all the time. Sometimes we can manage on our own. "

Lily nodded silently and gave them a half hearted smile, before she and Jack headed off through the tunnels.

" They're right, you know," Jack told her, squeezing her hand, " you always try to distract from worrying about yourself, by worrying about everyone else. Let everyone else look after themselves and I'll look after you. "

Lily smiled, and Jack pulled her into a warm protective hug as they got out of the tourist office and into the fresh air. His arms were always warm and safe, and he didn't ever want to let go of her

" I love you," he whispered into her ear, his lips buried in her hair.

" I know," she replied, " and I love you more. "

" Ah, ah, ah," Jack said, shaking his head at they broke apart. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear and kept his hand on her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her face, " I love you more than anyone has ever loved anyone else. "

Lily smiled and she laid her hand over his, taking hold of is hand as he moved it away from her face and let it hang free, " How did I end up with someone so perfect? "

" Little place called 1941," Jack winked as they started to walk again, him leading her along by the hand, though she wasn't sure where they were going, " barrage balloon, Glenn Miller, spaceship tethered up to Big Ben. Ringing any bells? "

" Vaguely," Lily shrugged, " there was champagne and slow dancing, if I recall correctly. "

" There was," Jack said, stopping at the door to the SUV and opening the passenger door for her.

" We're going for a ride in the SUV? " she asked, raising her eyebrows, both looking and feeling very unimpressed.

" Don't be so cynical," Jack said, " now get in the car. "

" Ooh, _yes _Captain," Lily said with a smirk, loving it when he got all bossy and demanding. The difficult day with losing Jenny was still in the back of her mind, but she was managing to push it out as Jack distracted her and tried to make her worries go away.

" So where are we going? " Lily asked as Jack started to drive.

" I've got a few things planned," Jack said with a secretive smile, " I just wanted to get away from everyone else, maybe have a few hours to ourselves away from the hub, and aliens, and everything else. "

" I'd like that," Lily said.

" Good," Jack nodded, " so first thing's first, I'm buying you something beautiful to wear for Gwen's wedding. I want you to outshine the bride. "

" Done," Lily said, smirking a little, " I don't need a new outfit to do that. "

" Now, now," Jack said, as they drove, giving her a reprimanding look, " you might not like Gwen, but I can't quite see what your problem with her is. Try and be nice ot her for a few days. "

" I'm always nice to her," Lily said, " so long as she can't hear some of the things I think about her, we don't have a problem. You were saying something about me outshining her? "

"Of course," Jack said, shaking his head at her, " I know all eyes should be on the bride, and they will be, but you're going to look even better. "

" Really? " Lily asked, " just as long as you're not buying me one of those big white dresses - I don't know how people can walk in those things - some of them are several feet long, and they're so wide! "

" It's a wedding dress," Jack said, " what do you expect? What did you wear when you married Shakespeare? "

Lily shrugged, " Oh, that wasn't a proper wedding," she said, waving it off, " we were young and stupid and it lasted al of a few months. I just wore a normal dress I said - plain green thing. In hindsight, I suppose I could have made more of an effort, but ... " she trailed off.

Jack shrugged, not looking at her and he kept his eyes on the road, " Ah, well, never mind," he said, " you could always save that for your next wedding. "

Lily turned to look at his profile, her eyes widening slightly, but Jack's didn't repsond and didn't look at her, trying not to smirk. He pulled the SUV up in a car park in the city centre and got out of the car.

Lily watched after him and then got out too.

Once she was in the shop, she was focused on buying clothes, and Jack watched her try on endless amount of dresses. Lily found that once she got into it, she didn't want to stop trying them on, and soon Jack was regretting ever suggesting this in the first place.

After what seemed like forever, Lily found something she thought was perfect. She pulled back the curtain, and the noise made Jack look up.

He stared at her when he saw her, and he couldn't think of anything to say.

" Oh, really? " Lily sighed, taking his silence as a sign of disapproval, and feeling quite diaappointed, because she wanted him to like what she was wearing, and she really liked this one, " I thought it was nice! "

" No," Jack said, coming to his senses and shaking his head, " it's ... you look ... " he cleared his throat and gave her his best smile, " you look more beautiful now than you ever have," he told her.

Lily smiled and she looked down at herself - she didn't think she looked any better or worse than usual, and she loved that Jack could always make her feel so good about herself.

" Thank you," she said, so quiet that he almost couldn't hear her.

He grinned, " I am definitley buying you that - it's all one me. You're going to be the most amazing creature at this wedding. Not that you aren't always the most amazing creature, that is to say. "

" Some serious flattery here, kitten," Lily said, leaning against the side of the changing room and pouting at him, " are you after something? "

Jack shrugged, " I wasn't, but now you mention it ... maybe ... special treatment in bed tonight? "

Lily rolled her eyes and disappeared into the changing room, pulling the curtain on behind her. Jack was wicked and was a flirt, but she absolutely wouldn't have it any other way.

As the pair of them left the shop after Jack had paid for Lily's new dress - since he wouldn't let her buy it for herself - they made their way back to the SUV. Jack opened Lily's door for her, but rather than getting into the car, she turned to face him.

She got up onto her tip toes and one hand moved up to the back of his neck.

She pressed her lips to his ear and smiled mischeviously as she whispered, " With regards to tonight, I think you'll definitley be getting the special treatment ... tiger," she added with a pur.

Jack sighed and Lily ran her other hand down his chest, then over his hips, and dangerously close to his manhood, the overwhelming scent of his pheremones taking over and making her do things she knew she shouldn't be doing in public.

Jack growled and tried to remain calm as Lily's hand trailed over him.

After a moment of two, he couldn't take any more of her teasing and her mischevious smirk, and he grabbed her at the hips and pressed his body against her, backing her up against the side of the car.

" You are a naughty little tease," he breathed

" What're you gonna do about it? " Lily asked, as he grabbed her hands and held them in the air so she couldn't drive him crazy any more.

" I'm going to take you straight home and teach you a lesson," Jack breathed, pulling her closer to him, " I don't care about the rest of the day. All my plans can wait. "

Lily laughed and he kissed her hungrily. It was a long kiss and it almost made her forget her head - when they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers.

" God, you are amazing," Lily breathed.

" I know," Jack smirked, " but you _know _you don't have to call me God. How many times do we have to go through this? "

" Shut up," Lily said, sticking her tounge out at him and making him laugh at her.

" Now," Jack said, " I suppose that's given us a taster of what we're doing tonight. Get in the car - I'm taking you out for dinner. "

" What happened to going straight home? " Lily asked, though she wanted to spend all day out with him, rather than spend the day in the hub. When she thought about it, spending time anywhere was good enough, so long as it was with Jack..

Jack shrugged, " No, I said I was going to treat you, so I am. I'm sure you could manage to wait for tonight. Trust me, I'll make it worth the wait. "

" Oh, I know," Lily smirked

They spent the rest of the day enjoying each others company - Jack took Lily to the most expensive restaurant he could find, showered her with compliments and never stopped smiling at her.

By the late afternoon, they decided to get back to the office, where the others were all there, doing little bits of work, though they didn't have much to do.

Lily made herself a drink and went to catch up with Tosh, whom she hadn't had a proper girly conversation with in far too long. Jack leant in the doorway of his office watching Lily laughing away with her friend and looking incredibly at home.

He decided that once she got talking, she'd be talking for ages, and she wouldn't pay any attention to anyone else. He preferred to stay out of their girly conversations, and he decided he wanted to catch up with his friends too.

He knew that Owen saw Lily like a little sister, as much as he hated to show his emotions to everyone. As he leant against the office door, he called out, " Owen, will you come in here and just have a look at this paperwork with me? "

As Owen made his way into the office, Ianto was also heading that way with a cup of coffee for Jack.

" Shut the door after you, Ianto," Jack said quietly and secretively.

" What's going on? " Owen asked, looking from Ianto to Jack, " look," he said, holding up his hands, " if this is some sort of gay gang rape thing, I'm really not into it. "

" Owen," Jack said, while Ianto looked mortified, " will you just hear me out? Right, this is _top secret. _I thought I'd tell you because ... well, I'm dying to tell someone. "

" Tell us what? " Owen asked, " and why us? "

" Because I thought you'd want to know Owen, since it concerns your friend, and since Ianto is everyone's friend ... you might as well know," he was starting to feel nevous, and it was possibly the first time Jack had ever felt nervous about anything.

He was usually always so confident.

He dug into one of the many pockets of his greatcoat and pulled out the little velvet box.

" I'm going to ask her to marry me," he said, chewing his lip.

" Lily? " Owen asked, suprised that Jack was making this move, though he knew she shouldn't be really. It was just that Lily was so crazy and out there that it was hard to imagine her being anyone's wife.

" Who else? " Jack said, shaking his head, as Ianto took the ring and inspected it.

" Very nice," Ianto said with a small smile, " congratulations. "

" She hasn't said yes yet," Jack pointed out.

" But she's obviously _going _to," Owen said, rolling his eyes, " you've been together ages - you're Jack and Lily - it's hardly like she's going to turn you down. "

" I was going to ask her today," Jack admitted, nervously looking down at his shoes and back up again, " but I just ... I couldn't bring myself to get the ring out and ask her. I was too scared. "

" That," Owen said, pulling a face, " is ridiculous. "

" I know, I know," Jack said, shaking his head, " I planned on taking her out so I could propose to her, but I just couldn't do it. And I can't do it tomorrow or on Saturday, because it's Gwen's wedding on Saturday, and I don't want to overshadow her big day. And now I have to think of a special way to do it, so it's a big thing. " He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, not really knowing why he was even this nervous.

" For goodness' sake Jack," Ianto sighed, " we don't need to tell you that she loves you - you know that! It won't matter to her how or when or where you propose. She's going to be absolutely thrilled. "

Owen nodded, " Yeah," he said simply.

" Can you imagine? " Jack said, a smile crossing his face as he realised that all his worries were irrational, " Mrs Lily Harkness. The wife. The Missus. "

" God help her, being married to you," Owen scoffed.

Ianto laughed, and when Owen saw the face Jack pulled, he shook his head, " Honestly mate, congratulations, I'm happy for you. Now be a man and actually ask her, won't you? "

That night, everyone had gone home, and only Jack and Lily were left behind. They went down to their bedroom, and hours later, they were curled up together under the covers.

" I love you," Lily mumbled, rolling closer to him and curling her naked body up against his.

" I should hope so, after that," Jack said cockily, playing with bits of her hair.

Lily laughed and a moment later, she'd pulled her body up and rolled over so she was hanging above Jack, straddling him.

" Again? Already? " Jack asked, impressed, as she leaned down to kiss him. He made a noise of suprise as their lips met, but soon got over it and kissed her back hungrily, his hands exploring her body.

" Not going to argue with that," he said with a smirk as she kissed down his jaw and collarbone. He reached out and caught her face in his hands, " I really do love you, you know," he told her.

" Oh, I know. "


	17. Something Borrowed

**sDisclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Seventeen

The next day, the day before Gwen's wedding, everyone had expected that it would be a quiet day, and it started off that way.

Gwen told Tosh and Lily about her wedding plans none stop, and Lily found herself actually listening - there was something magical about weddings, and sometimes she dared to think about someday getting married herself.

Ianto and Owen managed to get away from listening to the plans because Gwen assumed the boys wouldn't be interested, and the pair of them, along with Jack, were sitting across the hub, just chatting.

" She looks so happy," Jack grinned as he cast his eye towards the women. Lily was sitting on the edge of her desk, while Tosh and Gwen were sitting on chairs at Gwen's workstation. Gwen was doing most of the talking, her hands moving animatedly as she spoke, a wide toothy grin on her face.

" Gwen? " Ianto asked, looking across the three of them, " well she _is _getting married tomorrow. You'd expect her to be happy. "

" No. Lily," Jack replied.

The other two looked at Lily and Jack smiled - he thought she look positively glowing as she smiled away, happily listening to Gwen.

" Well, what's she got to be so happy about? " Owen frowned.

" I think Gwen's wedding might have her thinking about a little wedding of her own," Jack said, a sly smirk crossing his face.

" What? " Ianto asked, suprised, " you mean you've asked her? "

" Nope," Jack said, " and keep your bloody voice down. That's the best bit - I haven't even mentioned marriage to her, but just listening to Gwen take about weddings has got her thinking. " He grinned to himself, imagining the look on her face when he'd propose to her.

" Unless," Owen said swith a shrug, " she's just happy because she knows after tomorrow, Gwen will be away for two weeks. I know they've started getting on sometimes, but Lily'd prefer it without Gwen around. "

" That's terrible," Ianto said, shaking his head.

" Doesn't mean it's not true," Owen shrugged.

Jack couldn't understand why they didn't get on and he chose to ignore it most of the time. Instead, he focused his attention on looking at Lily and thinking about how amazing she was.

" Jack," Ianto said quietly. When Jack didn't reply, he tried again, " erm ... Jack? "

" For God's sake, Jack, answer your phone! " Owen sighed, slapping Jack's arm.

And so it began.

The call came through from the police, and Torchwood took over - a menace in the town, terrifying people. Only, it turned out to be a shape shifter.

The team persued it, and it was Gwen and Lily who ended up chasing it. Gwen caught it in the end and shot it, but not before it bit her. Owen bandaged up the bite and no-one thought any more of it.

The end of the day came, and the shapeshifter was lying on a slab in the mortuary but no-one thought any more of it. Gwen went off to her hen do - which she'd asked Lily to go to, but Lily kenw she'd only asked to be polite, so she turned the offer down equally politely - and everyone else went home.

" Come here," Jack said, once they were in their bedroom. He was lying in bed in only his boxer shorts, and Lily was standing in the middle of the room, hanging up her clothes in the wardrobe.

Lily smiled and turned towards him, wearing one of his shirts. It was halfway down her thighs, and she only buttoned it up partially.

Jack threw back the covers and Lily climbed into the bed. It was warm and safe, and it was Jack all over. Jack, as always, wrapped his arms tightly around her, and she snuggled up against him.

She wasn't tired and neither was he, since neither of them needed as much sleep as normal people. The nights that they stayed up talking forever were some of the best times they spent together.

" How about I tell you about the time I met Leonardo Da Vinci? " Lily said, a smile playing across her face.

" That depends," Jack said with a smirk, " if it's a good story, yes. "

" Well," Lily said, " it's not as good as meeting Shakespeare - "

" And marrying the man," Jack said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

" No need to sound so jealous, kitten" Lily laughed. Her smile dropped and she looked at him, more serious, " I've only got eyes for you. "

" And I'm very glad to hear it," smiled Jack, " because I love you, baby. "

Lily smiled, and as always, went to bed happy.

When Lily woke up the next morning, she was in bed on her own. She frowned and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold and alone. It wasn't like Jack to get up and leave her laying there.

The plan was, that they'd spend a few hours in the hub, before going to the wedding just after midday.

She quickly got dressed into something casual before going upstairs. She found Jack in his office talking to Owen as she clambered up through the manhole cover. Owen grabbed her hand and helped her up.

She noticed the tense look on Jack's face, and sighed, " Don't tell me something's happened? I was hoping today'd be quiet - I love weddings! I don't even care who's getting married - I just love it. Ooh, the nice clothes, the dancing, love is all around us and all that. Oh, sorry, I'm rambling, right? Go ahead, tell me what's wrong. "

Jack sighed, " Gwen rung up to say something's happened to her. Owen's going to go down and examine her, and I'll follow on after. "

" Why don't you go together? " Lily asked.

" Because you've only just gotten up and I want to spend a little bit of time with you," Jack said, as though it were obvious, " unless that's too much to ask from my girlfriend? "

Owen had already left while Jack was talking and Lily smiled and Jack came over to pull her into a hug - he was just the dashing hero everyone needed and he was all hers.

" What's going on with Gwen, then? " Lily asked, still clinging to Jack.

Jack sighed, " I think that thing yesterday ... it's gotten her ... pregnant. Somehow. We think. "

Lily took a sharp intake of breath and shook her head, " Seriously? " she asked as she pulled away from Jack so she could look at him properly, " pregnant? "

" Well, she went to bed fine yesterday and she's woken up ready to pop, so I'm guessing that alien that bit her had something to do with it," Jack said, " so now we need to figure out what the hell to do about it. "

Lily's technical mind took over and she started pacing around the office, " I knew we should have checked that bite out properly. Some species pass eggs on in the bite - sneaky little way of keeping the bloodline going. Exo-biological insemination. We'd need to examine the alien properly to know exactly how it works. You should get down to Gwen's and find out what's going on - see what Owen's found, and when you get back, we can decide what to do next. "

Jack looked at her with slightly widened eyes, " Only been awake five minutes and you're giving the orders. "

" Of course I am," Lily said, turning him around so he was facing the door, " now get out. The sooner you leave, the sooner we can get back. The sooner this is all sorted out, the sooner we get to the wedding and you can see me in that gorgeous new dress of mine. Now go. "

" Yes ma'am," Jack said, turning and giving her a little salute.

Once he was gone, Lily ran a hand through her hair and followed him out of the office. She shut the door after her and went over to her desk.

She found that Ianto was leaving a coffee on her desk as she got there.

" You are a wonderful man," Lily said, winking at him and picking up the mug. She reminded herself of Jack with the little wink and realised she'd been spending far too long with Jack, an she liked it that way.

" Looking forward to the wedding? " Ianto asked.

Lily scoffed, " If it goes ahead that it, but yeah. "

" Ah," Ianto nodded, " I heard about the ... the pregnancy thing. Do you think they'll get it sorted out? Have you come across anything like this before? "

Lily shrugged, " Course I have. You've heard about immaculate conception, haven't you? As for if it'll get sorted out, I don't know. The case I came across was simple, but we don't know anything about this yet - we'll have to wait until Jack and Owen can tell us some more. "

" Immaculate conception? " Ianto echoed, raising his eyebrows, " you know, I can never tell when you're telling the truth about these things. "

" I always tell the truth," Lily answered. " Don't worry about it, we'll soon have Gwen sorted out, I'm sure. What're you wearing for this wedding? "

" Only my finest suit," Ianto replied with a half smile.

" Naturally," Lily nodded, " is Cate coming? "

Ianto blushed at the mention of his girlfriend, whom he'd been seeing for a couple of months, though he'd not told his collegues much about her, however much Lily pressed him for information.

" I don't think we're at the stage where we can attend weddings together just yet," Ianto said simply, " it's been two months of odd meetings in pubs. I haven't even told her I love her yet. "

" You do? " Lily grinned.

Ianto blushed, " It's only been a couple of months. I don't think she'd feel the same, but she's just ... I know it hasn't been long, but I just _know. _Is that stupid? "

" Of course not," Lily replied simply, taking a sip from her coffee as she knew Ianto didn't want to talk about it any more, by the embarrassment on his face, " absolutely delicious as usual. "

Ianto nodded and started to walk away from her.

" Oh and by the way," she called after him, making his turn around to face her, " make sure you tell her how you feel. Who know, it might be wedding bells for you next? "

" Or you," Ianto replied simply.

Lily scoffed, " Yeah, that'll be the day. I don't imagine Jack going for the big white wedding any time soon, do you? I think having a wife might cramp his style - Captain Jack Harkness, dashing haro, saving the world, with the wife tagging along behind. "

Ianto shrugged and didn't say anything else as he walked off to give Tosh her drink. Lily sunk down into her desk chair, thinking of what she'd just said to Ianto - no, it didn't seem like Jack's style, as much as she wanted to raise a family one day and marry him and have everything that other people had.

Lily's phone rang while she was in the process of sending an email to one of the usual UNIT officers who pestered them.

She snatched the phone up at once and was met by Jack's cool voice.

" What's going on? " Lily asked.

**"** She is definitley pregnant," Jack announced.

" Do you want me to start examining the thing - I don't know exactlywhat it is, but I've come across things like this before, and the chances are, if we don't sort this out, she's gonna give birth to a monster which could kill her. "

" She's adamant that the wedding's going ahead," Jack replied, with a sigh.

" Can't blame her I suppose - she's had it all planne,d been looking forward to it. She just wants to be his wife," Lily replied.

" I suppose," Jack said," so I'll get Owen to look at the body, and I want you and Tosh to get to the wedding and keep an eye on Gwen for me. The rest of us will join you there as soon as we can. "

" You just want to me keep an eye on her? " asked Lily, " are you sure you don't want me to take a look at the body. I'd be more help doing that, than baby sitting. "

" No," Jack said, and his girlfriend could almost hear the smile in his voice, " Owen can do the dirty work. I want you to put yourself in that gorgeous dress and I won't hear any more arguments from you, baby. Go. Now. "

Lily laughed, " If you say so. See you soon. "

" I love you. "

" Love you too," Lily said with a smile, before she closed the phone.

Once she'd finished talking to Jack, she went down to the rooms she shared with Jack, and startd getting ready. She loved getting all dressed up, and she was hoping that once this was over, she'd be able to just spend some time with Jack.

Sometimes they spent so much time running around saving the world and saving Cardiff, that it felt like they had very little time to be a normal couple.

It took her a while to get ready, because she was insistant that her hair be perfect and her make up be perfect.

Once she was ready, she went to the ladder under the manhole cover, which led to Jack's office. She sighed as she realised climbing it with a pair of heels on wasn't the best idea.

She climbed slowly and once she got to the top rung, realised she was going to struggle to climb up in the form fitting dress. She got up finally, and smoothed down her dress.

Smiling to herself, she left Jack's office and clip-clopped through the hub in her heels.

She saw Jack talking to Ianto, with his back to her. Ianto smiled at her over Jack's shoulder when he saw her and Jack noticed Ianto's smile and turned around.

He couldn't say anything when he saw her, and he just stared at her.

" You," he said, as Ianto convientiently drifted off to give them some time alone together, " you ... you look ... wow. "

Lily smiled and shook her head at him, " While I'm obviously flattered, what kind of way is that to talk to a lady? You could at least string a sentence together for me. "

Jack shook his head, " You look so lovely," he said.

Lily smiled. Her black hair, usually very straight, had been teased into a few loose curls and some were pulled back with a white flower on a clip. Her dress was full length, black and silky, and clung to her slim frame, with a neckline that plunged.

" All yours," she said with a smile.

Jack grinned, and Lily moved closer to him. She stopped in front of him, and he reached out and put both of his hands on her hips, pulling her closer so his hips were pressed against hers.

Lily smiled and both of her hands went around his neck and she got on her toes and kissed him lightly. It was slow at first, but became more passionate quite quickly.

When they broke apart, Lily smiled at him and he leaned in again and kissed her cheek.

" Now," Jack said, " as far as I know, Tosh is ready too, so you just need to get down to the wedding venue, and I'll keep you posted. "

" Ok then," Lily smiled, stepping away from him, " good luck finding out about this, yeah? Ooh, are you _sure _you don't need me to stay? "

" No," Jack said forcefully, " will you just go, already? We can handle it. "

Lily held up her hands, " If you say so. I'm just going to check on what Owen's doing before I get going - I know he's perfectly capable, but I just want to check. "

Jack gave her a kiss on the cheek, and sighed, " This is so unfair," he said, " here you are, looking so completely gorgeous, and you're going off without me. Trust the stupid aliens to mess it up when you're looking so hot. All I want to do is have you all to myself. "

" All in good time, and aliens aren't all stupid, Jack," Lily said with a little shake of her head, before she walked away. She knew Jack was watching her go, and she smiled to herself.

She moved over to the medical bay, and saw Tosh, all ready for the wedding, stood talking to Owen. She watched with a smile as Tosh asked if Owen was going to the wedding, and then persuaded him to go.

As Tosh walked away, glowing, Lily gave her a grin.

Lily walked slowly down the stairs to the medical bay, and saw that Owen was leaning over the body of the alien, with his medical coat and a pair of rubber gloves on, about to start his inspection.

" How are you getting on? " Lily asked, making him turn around to face her.

He grinned when he saw her and wolf whistled, " Well look at that - I am just inundated with pretty ladies today, aren't I? Jack is one lucky bloke. "

" Flattery will get you everywhere, Dr Harper," Lily grinned, " now, come on, how's it going? "

" Haven't even started yet," Owen said, " I'm dreading having to cut it up - god knows what I'm going to find. "

" Have fun," Lily grinned.

" Cheers, sweetheart," Owen said, rolling his eyes. Lily gave him another grin and then turned away. She walked through the hub and met Tosh in the tourist office, where she was with Ianto.

" Ready to go? " Tosh asked.

" Ready to go," Lily confirmed. Turning to Ianto, she added, " look after Jack for me, won't you? Once you've got this sorted out, and you're coming to meet us at the wedding, make sure he looks smart - see if you can get him to wear something other than his military gear. "

" Jack doesn't need someone to keep an eye on him," Ianto said with a slight smile.

" On the contrary, Jack always needs someone to keep him in line - he's a damned nuisance sometimes. In my absence, you'll have to keep him in line. If he argues, you tell him you're under my orders. "

" Sometimes I wonder who's actually in charge around here," Ianto said with a smirk.

" Oh, Jack might be the boss, but behind every good leader is a good woman who makes him that way," Lily said, " we'll see you soon. "

" Right you are," Ianto nodded, " I've called you a taxi, and here's the new wedding dress for Gwen, I'm pretty sure it'll fit, but call me if it doesn't. "

Tosh took the large box from Ianto and the two women left together.

" This is nice, isn't it? " Lily said, leaning back against the seats of the taxi, " get away from the madness that is our jobs. "

" I know," Tosh said, " I just hope Gwen's alright. "

" She will be," Lily said, " especially once she's married - it's magical, isn't it, marriage? I mean, standing up in front of all your friends and family and promising to love someone forever. How romantic is that? "

Tosh sighed, " I know. "

Lily knew what Tosh was thinking about and asked lightly, " Do you ever think about you getting married? Or maybe, if you ever got together with Owen? "

" Please," Tosh scoffed, " that's not going to happen. Owen ... Owen's not interested. "

**" **I think he could be, with a little bit of pushing," Lily shrugged, " he just needs persuading that you're the best thing for him. He'll come to his senses. "

Tosh didn't reply, but Lily smiled. They fell into a comfortable conversation about this and that, and before they knew it, they were at the wedding venue. It was a large fancy looking building, with plenty of people milling around.

Lily gave the taxi driver a bit of money and then she and Tosh started towards the building.

Some men were hanging around the entrance as Tosh and Lily entered the building and headed towards reception, and they all gave their full attention to the girls as they passed, leering openly and nudging each other.

" Alright, darling? " one of them asked as Lily signed herself in in the reception book. He sidled up to her and gave her what she thought was supposed to be a charming smile, though it was more of a grimace.

She pulled a face - the only person who ever called her darling was her dad - Jack used baby, Owen rather sarcastically used sweetheart, but darling always felt like the one endearment that was reserved for dad.

**" **I'm just fine," Lily said, turning back to the sign in book and thinking if she ignored him, he'd just go away.

Instead, he pressed on, " And what's a gorgeous girl like you doing in here, all by yourself? "

" I'm a friend of the bride's, and my boyfriend should be here soon," Lily replied. She looked him up and down, rather unimpressed, " I wasn't aware they let just anyone in. "

" I'm the best man," the man said with a dopey grin.

Lily rolled her eyes and walked away from him, allowing Tosh to sign in. While the man apparently realised he wasn't getting anywhere with Lily, he turn tried it on with Tosh, though Tosh also turned him down, unimpressed.

The two women walked up to the bridal suite, and knocked on the door, awaiting Gwen. When Gwen opened the door to them, she looked suprised to see them there.

" Hi," Lily grinned, trying not to stare at the very pregnant belly that Gwen carried.

" Oh ... hi," Gwen said, eyeing the large box in Toshiko's arms

" Jack sent us over," Lily said, " to bring your new wedding dress. And probably to get us out of the way - you know what he's like. "

Gwen nodded and stood back to let them in, looking rather overwhelmed and not sure what was going on.

" Jack really sent you to keep an eye on me, didn't he? " Gwen asked, shaking her head as Tosh opened the box and set it down on the bed for Gwen to inspect.

" Possibly," Lily said, " but we'd much rather be here than at the hub, anyway. " She smiled, trying to keep Gwen's mind off it and keep her spirits up for the wedding, " Now, Ianto picked your wedding dress out, and I think he's down a good job - I saw the picture in the brochure - it looks amazing. Ooh, have a look at it. "

Gwen smiled, but she was curious to see it anyway, and she reached into the box and slowly pulled the dress out. Tosh and Lily both watched and Tosh shook her head with a sad smile,

" It's lovely," Tosh said.

" So beautiful," Gwen nodded, " it's ... it's a really good choice. "

After a pause, Tosh said carefully, " You know, I don't blame you for telling Jack and Owen to stick a postponement. I think it's wonderful that you're getting married no matter what. "

" Damned straight," Lily grinned, " why should you have to put it off after all that planning, and all that looking forward to it? "

" Thank you," Gwen said, smiling at both of them.

" You're very lucky," Tosh said softly, sounding sad.

" It'll happen for you one day, too," Gwen said with a smile, trying to be encouraging, " there's always Owen ... "

" I don't think so," Tosh scoffed, " for one, he's not interested, and for two, "in sickness and in health, until death do us part?" It'd sound like a bad joke, wouldn't it? "

Tosh stood up suddenly, " I'll let you get on," she said, " let me know if you need me - I'll be downstairs. Good luck. "

" Thank you," Gwen said, before Tosh left.

Lily watched her go, and the pair of them exchanged a sad little look at the thought of Tosh being so unlucky in love.

Lily sat down on the bed, " Come on," she said, " you can't fool me. I'm an alien - I've seen all sorts. You can talk to me about it, if you want? "

Gwen half smiled and sat down on the bed too, a hand rubbing at her stomach as she tried to ease herself onto the bed.

" It's just bloody ridiculous," Gwen sighed, " who knew that an alien bite could make you pregnant? And to think ... it could have been any of us out there - any of us could have been bitten! You were there - it could have been you. " She sighed, " I just can't believe it. "

" The boys are working on a solution," Lily said, " it's just ... it's just bad luck, I suppose. But Owen's going to find out exactly what it is, and we'll sort this out. Until then, we're just going to have to keep an eye on you. "

" I don't know what to tell my parents," she said, looking at Lily with wide eyes full of fear, and making Lily feel obligated to help her out, though she didn't know what to say, " they're ... they're going to think they're getting a grandchild, and then I'll have to tell them I've lost it. "

" You know I think? " Lily said with a little smile, " you've just got to take things as they come. I know that doesn't always seem like the best way around things, but sometimes that's all you can do. "

" I suppose so," Gwen said with a nod.

The two women were silent for a few moments, and then Gwen ran a hand through her hair, clearly stressed out.

" It doesn't help that my hairdresser has pulled out - claims she's sick. How is that supposed to help me? I thought weddings were supposed to be the best day of your life, but instead, I'm ... I just can't handle it all. "

" You can," Lily said, " I've told you, we'll deal with the ... pregnancy thing. And as for your hair, well ... " she jerked her thumb in the direction of the dressing table, " take a seat. I'll see what I can do. "

" You? " Gwen asked.

Lily shrugged, " If you want ... I mean, no-one else is around to do it, so I could have a go, if you want? I managed to do something with mine. "

Gwen hesitated, but then nodded, " Yes," she said, " yes please. "

As Lily helped Gwen move off the bed and onto the little stool in front of the dressing table, Gwen looked at the mirror in front of her and eyed Lily's hair, as Lily was stood behind her.

As Lily found some hair pins and Gwen told her where the tiara and little clips with pearls on were, Gwen smiled a little and wondered if she and Lily might actually be getting on for a change.

Lily came to stand behind Gwen again and as she brushed her hair, Gwen cleared her throat and said, " You look really nice. Really nice. "

" Thank you," Lily smiled, " Jack was rather impressed ... but I suppose Jack's impressed with almost anyone. "

" Not like he is with you," Gwen said honestly. " Jack ... well, we all know Jack absolutely adores you. I didn't think he was capable of loving someone like that until he brought you back to Torchwood. Funny how things turn out, isn't it? "

" Yep," Lily said, continuing to work at Gwen's hair, " I never thought I'd meet anyone like Jack. I was just drifting around travelling space and time and then we met him. And I just knew. "

" I just knew, when I met Rhys," she said, " we hadn't been together long, and I thought, this is the man I'm going to marry. Did you get that with Jack? "

Lily pulled a face as she tried to decide the proper answer to the question. " I didn't always think I was going to marry him," Lily said. " I knew I had no chance resisting him - knew we were going to be good together, knew it would be perfect. But neither of us were quite the marrying kind, so Ididn't think of it at first. "

" And now? " Gwen prompted.

" And now," Lily said with a growing smile, " this human life sort of grows on me. Sometimes I forget that I'm a time lord with hundreds of years to live and all those chances to regenerate, and that he's an immortal ex-con man. And then I think we could be a normal couple, living together, getting married, having kids, all that. I don't know ... I don't know how he'd feel. Never mind about that anyway, today's about you. "

**" **Yeah, and this thing," Gwen added, patting her stomach with a frown.

Once Lily had finished doing up Gwen's hair, which took quite a while to get it perfect, she tried to ring Tosh to find out whereabouts she was. Tosh didn't answer and Lily decided she probably just hadn't heard her phone.

There was a knock at the door and Gwen's parents came into the room, both looking shocked at her condition. Lily made herself scarce to give them some private time, after Gwen assured her her mother would help her get into her dress.

Lily headed down to the hotel bar, where she almost bumped into a tall thin woman, who was wearing black and wore a large black hat. She continued past the woman and was about to order a drink when her phone rang.

She grinned when she saw that it was Jack and answered, " Hey kitten. "

" Hey baby," Jack said, " how's Gwen? "

" She's fine," Lily said, " I've left her in the very capable hands of her parents, but I'm not far away. "

" Good," Jack replied, as Lily walked out to the beautiful grounds, so she could have a more private conversation. " Listen we, um, we have a problem. "

" Do we? " Lily asked, looking for somewhere to sit, " what is it now? "

She walked out of the grounds because there were people milling around everywhere, and she wanted to get on with her conversation in peace. She ended up walking just outside the gates and down the road a little, until she knew no-one else was around.

" I'm going to put you on speakerphone, so we can all talk about this, because I haven't explained it to Owen and Ianto - well, Owen sort of knows, but - "

" Jack," Lily said simply, " what is it? "

" That thing that Owen cut up - the thing that bit Gwen," Jack said with a sigh, " is a Nostrovite. "

" No! " Lily moaned, " no, no, no. I should have known - ah, no, this isn't supposed to happen on someone's wedding day. This is ... ugh, this is ridiculous. Oh, _now_ we have a problem. "

" I know," Jack replied with a sigh. The next moment, she heard him press a button which bleeped, and she knew she was on speakerphone.

" So it's definitley a Nostrovite, Owen? " she asked, sighing again.

" Definitley," Owen said from the hub.

" What _is _a Nostrovite? " Ianto asked.

" A shape shifting carnivore with a taste for human flesh," Jack informed him, " it's intelligent and sneaky and ... dammit! I should have noticed this before. "

" There's nothing we can do about that now," Lily said, " but we need to stop it now. And you konw the main problem with shape-shifters - you never know what you're getting. "

" But what's the big deal? " asked Ianto, confused, " it's dead. "

" Yeah, this one is," Owen replied.

" Oh, does there have to be more? " sighed Ianto.

" Nostrovites mate for life," Lily replied, " you know, like swans or penguins. Except you don't find Nostrovites on christmas cards - God, image that. That'd be awful. Anyway, the male Nostrovite carries the fertilised egg in a sack in its mouth and passes it onto the host with a bite. "

" Gwen," Ianto said.

" Yep," Jack took over, " then the mother tracks down the host and rips her open. That's Nostrovite childbirth for you. And the momma nostrovite is out there right now, looking for Gwen. "

" You lot need to get over here right now," Lily ordered, " I'll get back to Gwen, but I can't find Tosh. I'll look for her too. "

" But what are we actually going to do? " Ianto asked.

" Just get here," Lily said, " I need you to get here and help me. Then we can get Gwen back to the hub and get this thing out of her. "

" I'll get the singularity scalpel," Owen said.

Lily, Jack and Ianto all demanded, " What? " at the same time.

" After Martha? " Ianto added, " that thing kills people! "

" There's a nostrovite on the loose," Owen pointed out, " we might not have time to bring her back to the hub - you need to trust me on this one. I think I've worked it out. "

" Jack," Lily said softly, feeling her instincts shining through, " if Owen says we should trust him, then we should trust him. "

Jack sighed, " I suppose so, but I'm not happy about it. We'll set off right away - I need you to find Gwen, but first, get to Tosh. The shape shifter could have got hold of her, to try and get rid of her. "

" I'll get right onto it," Lily vowed.

" And be careful! " Jack warned, " I don't want anything happening to you. "

" I'll be fine - I'm always fine," Lily said with an offhand shrug - she got the feeling that Ianto and Owen had left the room, leaving only she and Jack talking to each other.

" No," Jack sighed, " don't just shrug it off - I _know _you're doing that, you know. I want to know that you're safe - for god's sake, watch what you're doing. "

" Jack, you worry about me far too much," she said, " I can handle myself. See you soon. "

" You certainly will," Jack said, " we're getting into the SUV now - we'll be there very soon. "

" Good," Lily smiled, " oh ... and Jack? "

" Yes baby? " he asked, in one of those voices that made her melt.

" I love you. "

" I love you," he said, before they each ended the phone call.

Once the call was over, Lily moved back towards the gates of the hotel, at the bottom of the drive. There were two men on the gates, and one of them looked at her - since the wedding was very nearly about to happen, they'd made sure security where on the gate.

" Friend of the bride," Lily said, expecting them to let her pass.

" If you're a friend of the bride, then why aren't you already in there? The wedding starts in less than five minutes," one of them replied.

" I just came out to take a phonecall," Lily said, pouting.

" Did you? " the man asked.

" Yes! " Lily said, shaking her head, " I must have walked straight past you to get out here! I was just around the corner, taking a phonecall. I need to get back in there. "

" How do we know you're one of the wedding guests? We can't allow just anyone to come wandering in here," the man told her.

Lily groaned, " Look, you've got to let me in there. I'm a friend of the bride - what d'you think I'm dressed like this for? And what's more, I'm part of Torchwood. "

" Torchwood? " echoed one of the men.

" Special ops division of the police," Lily elaborated, " you've got to let me in there. "

" Pretty little thing like you, all dressed up, flashing the flesh," mocked one of the men, leering at her, " special ops? Give me a break. "

She groaned and wished she'd brought the psychic paper with her - she usually brought it all the time, but in her very little handbag, all she'd slipped in were her phone and her laser spanner.

Lily sighed once she knew she wasn't getting anywhere, and she tried every device she had - she eventually resorted to turning away from them, and rearranging the neckline of her dress.

When she turned back to them, she'd rearranged her neckline - which was low anyway - and made it lower, using the only assets she could think of.

Just as she turned to them, and they both eyed her cleavage openly, she heard a voice from behind her.

" Lily? "

She turned to see Jack, Owen and Ianto and she sighed in relief. " Jack," she said, " thank god you're here - I was trying to get back in, but these two idiots won't let me. "

Jack cleared his throat as he quickly pulled his eyes away from her body, looking up at her face with a smile. He gave her that easy sort of smile which always made her melt, and he flashed the Torchwood ID card at the men.

One of them grunted, and they let them all pass.

Once they were past the guards and into the grounds, Jack grasped her arm, " What are you doing dressed like that? " he demanded.

" Dressed like what? " she asked innocently, " you were _with _me when I bought it. _You _bought it! "

" I know that," Jack said, hissing at her and feeling annoyed. He came to a halt, and didn't let go of her upper arm, " but it didn't look so ... revealing when you left the house. You can't ... you can't just ... I don't want you showing half of your body to anyone and everyone, to get your own way. "

" I was being resourceful," Lily replied, " it's an emergency - big alien going to rip Gwen open, remember? "

" Please," Jack said, shaking his head at her, " I ... you should have seen the way those men were looking at you - like you're a piece of meat or something. I won't have anyone leering at you like that. I ... I don't like it. "

Lily thought that he looked rather cute and she knew he had a point, so she sighed, " Yes, you're right, I'm sorry. "

He ran a hand up her arm and frowned, " You're going to freeze, anyway. "

" No, I'm not," she said simply, starting to walk towards the building, Owen and Ianto following her, and Jack starting to move again too.

" At least wear my coat," Jack said, " we're going to be running around and chasing aliens and sorting out Gwen. It's not the place for a ... admittedly gorgeous ... dress which ... well ... "

" If there was just me and you here, you wouldn't have a problem," Lily pointed out, " and your coat reaches the floor on _you, _it would be ridiculous on _me. "_

" Here," Ianto said, holding out his own suit jacket for Lily.

Lily could see that running around in this dress wasn't going to be helpful to her and she took Ianto's jacket to avoid wardrobe malfunctions. She slipped it on, and they walked towards the hotel quickly.

" I can't see anything wrong with it," Owen muttered aside to Ianto, earning himself a slap on the back of the head from Jack who had heard regardless.

The four of them moved quickly and by the time they got to the reception area, they realised the wedding had already begun.

" We've got to get in there," Jack said, " Owen, Ianto, find Toshiko, Lily, with me. We've got to stop this wedding before the mama nostrovite gets to Gwen and picks her moment. "

Lily nodded, and as Ianto and Owen raced off, Jack burst through the doors of the reception room and demanded that the wedding be stopped.

Lily stood in the doorway and watched as Jack raced down the aisle, and everyone turned to face him. She saw Gwen and Rhys break apart and both look at Jack in a mixture of shock and annoyance.

" Stop the wedding! " Jack shouted loudly. Lily winced and for just a second, she pictured Jack telling them to stop the wedding, then sweeping Gwen off her feet, and running away with her. She shook herself quickly and told herself not to be ridiculous.

" I knew that baby wasn't Rhys's," Lily heard a woman near the front say loudly as she stood up.

She saw Gwen and Jack exchange heated words, though she wouldn't make them out, and the next thing she knew, Jack had turned around and was coming up the aisle, Gwen and Rhys following him, while everyone else in the room mumbled and stared.

In the doorway, Jack took hold of Lily's hand and they walked up to the bridal suite in silence. He clasped her hand tightly and it was almost as much of a comfort to himself as it was to her.

Once they got into the bridal suite, Gwen looked at them, ready to listen, while Rhys looked furious.

" What's going on? " Gwen asked..

" Owen's found out what the body was. Turns out that when you got bit last night, it was by a Nostrovite," Lily told her, " and although that one might be dead now, the problem with Notrovites is there's never just one. "

" There's two of them? " Gwen asked, while Rhys looked as he was stuggling to keep with this with already.

" Mummy and Daddy Nostrovite," Jack took over, " they hunt in pairs. But childbirth is more of a ... three way. He find and impregnates a host. Then she comes in like the midwife from hell, hanging around, watching and waiting, until the time is right. Then it gets messy. "

" So you think it's near? " Rhys asked.

" Oh yeah," Jack nodded, " not only is she close, she's a shapeshifter - she could be anyone. She could be in there, making small talk with your mum and dad. She's dangerous, which is why we need to get you out of here, Gwen, and make sure you're safe. You can't stay here. "

" We're not stopping the wedding," Gwen said firmly.

Lily sighed, " Gwen, I know you really want this to go ahead today, but it's too dangerous. "

" There isn't a choice here," Jack added.

" No! " Gwen said loudly, glaring at Jack, " ever since I've met you Jack, all Rhys has had tp put up with, with me, is crap! The lies, the danger, the complications. But he's stood by me. Who else would do that? Who else would marry me, knowing that I am carrying some kind of monster, inside me? I love him, and I'm going to marry him. Today. "

" It's my wedding too," Rhys spoke up, suprising Lily, " don't I get a say? "

Before Jack could answer, they heard a loud female scream. Lily turned on her heel and raced towards the direction of the scream, as did Jack.

They ran down the corridor and found Ianto, Owen and Tosh in one of the rooms. On the floor was a man's dead remains, covering in a sticky black substance. A woman - one of Gwen's friends - had come in and seen the dead body, and she was the one who screamed. She ran away, and Jack ordered Ianto to go after her.

Lily knew the state of the dead man must be the work of the Nostrovite.

As Ianto left, Gwen and Rhys came in, and as soon as Rhys saw the body, he panicked.

" Oh my God," he cried, " I want Gwen out of here now. "

" Jack," Tosh said urgently, " I've seen the shape-shifter. It's a woman, she's in black. "

Rhys looked uneasily at Lily, who was wearing Ianto's black blazer over her own black dress. Jack noticed the way he was looking, and rolled his eyes,

" For goodness sake Rhys, you _know _that's just my girlfriend. "

" Just? " Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jack shrugged, " Fine. It's my absolutely amazing girlfriend. Alien, yes. Shape-shifter, no. " He pressed a hand to him comms when he heard it beep, and when he'd been told something, he looked at Lily.

" Ianto says word's got out about this man being murdered," Jack sighed. Pressing his hand back to his comms, he added, " Ianto, get to the SUV, jam the phone lines. " Looking at those around him, he added, " Lily, me and you are going to find that woman in black. Gwen, Owen needs to operate. Tosh will stay with you to keep an eye on it all. "

" I want Gwen safe, now! " Rhys demanded.

" I want her safe too, Rhys," Jack replied hotly, " which is why we do what I say! "

" Rhys," Gwen said softly, " Jack knows what he's doing, okay? "

" Look," Jack told Rhys frankly, " if we run, the Nostrovite will be waiting for us. And we're running out of time. "

" What's the plan? " Gwen asked, looking around at the others.

Owen picked up his backpack, " Don't worry about it - I've got a plan. "

" Then I'm staying here," Rhys said.

" Fine! " Jack snapped, having had quite enough of him, and leaving the room. Lily followed after him, wishing she hadn't worn high heels, because although she was used to having to run around in all manner of places and times, it really wasn't comfortable.

They hurried down to the hotel chapel, where the guests were still gathered.

" Listen up everyone," said Jack loudly, commanding everyone's attention at once. He and Lily moved to the front of the room, and once thye were there, Jack shouted out, " I need everyone to stay calm and do exactly as I tell you. "

" And who the hell are you? " asked a man, rudely, who Lily thought was Rhys's dad.

" We're Torchwood," Lily replied.

" Gwen's Torchwood? " asked Gwen's father, looking at them in great interest, " you mean you're real? "

Lily exchanged a quick look with Jack, as they each wondered exactly what Gwen had told her parents, and the next moment, as Lily looked around, she saw a woman in black who she thought it could be. When she looked at her, she just knew.

" It's her," Lily said, pulling out her stun gun, as she still refused to use a real gun.

" Everybody down! " Jack shouted, pulling out his own gun and pointing it at the female nostrovite. The nostrovite stood and bared her teeth at them, her eyes suddenly glowing red.

The wedding guests all screamed and tried to get out of the way, and both Jack and Lily fired at the notrovite, trying to take her down. The nostrovite turned away from them and jumped through the window, shattering glass everywhere and landing outside on the gravel, so she could run across the garden.

Jack and Lily both started after her, and Jack jumped out of the window, which now had no glass left in it. Lily ran to the window and tried to jump out. Once she'd jumped out, in her tight fitting black dress, Jack caught her around the waist and steadied her.

The took off around the grounds and chased after the nostrovite as fast as they possibly could, but once they'd reached the end of the grounds, they'd lost it.

" How fast can that thing move? " Lily said, pulling a face.

" It won't have gone far," Jack pointed out, " not without what it came for. " He shrugged, " Come on. "

They headed back to the building, and Jack laid his hand on Lily's lower back as they moved, just for a few moments feeling like a very normal couple in the midst of all this.

" I'm sorry about today," Jack said.

Lily laughed at him, " It's not your fault. "

" No, I know," he said, " but I thought ... I suppose it was stupid ... I thought maybe we could go to a wedding, spend time together, dance, have fun ... "

" We've got forever to do all those things," Lily said, " in fact ... we've got forever to do just about anything we want. "

They were just inside the hotel, when the comms beeped and Jack touched a hand to them," Yeah? Owen? No, it got away ... how's the patient? ... "

Lily heard Owen say that Rhys and his mother were with Gwen, but she frowned. She caught hold of Jack's sleeve and turned around, " Rhys's mother is over there - look. "

" Come on - straight back to Gwen's room," Jack ordered, at which point they started running off again. They met Owen and Tosh on one floor and Ianto on another - they filled them in on the way, and all five rushed to the room.

They moved quickly and Jack was the first one to burst into the room.

" Get back, you ugly bitch! " he shouted at Rhys's mother - or the shapeshifter, as they thought - as everyone held their guns on the woman.

" What the hell do you think you're doing? " Rhys demanded, " that's my mother! "

" It's the alien! " Jack replied.

" I'm not an alien," Mrs Williams wailed.

" Oh you're good, I'll give you that," scoffed Jack.

" But I'm not!" Mrs Williams cried, though no-one believed her.

" Jack," Gwen said carefully, " does the shape-shifter copy smells too? "

" No, just the physical form," Jack replied.

" Well, I'd recognise that bloody awful perfume anywhere. It's Brenda, Jack, it's ... it's Brenda," Gwen continued, making everyone else promptly lower their guns and feel suitably ashamed of themselves.

Jack was putting his gun back into his belt when Lily sa Rhys move towards him. She didn't think much of it, but before she knew it, Rhys had sunk his fist into Jack's face, punching him square in the jaw.

Jack groaned as he reeled back.

" That's for calling my mother an ugly bitch! " Rhys yelled, while Jack groaned and rubbed at his jaw. Lily winced and looked at him, wanting to hit Rhys herself, though she kenw it wouldn't be the best thing to do.

" Um ... guys? " Tosh said, shaking her head, " if you said you'd seen Rhys's mother downstairs, but she's actually here, then who _is _down there? "

" Oh," Owen said, as everyone got moving, turning and running again.

Jack was the only one who didn't immediately move, so neither did Lily. As Jack rubbed a hand against his jaw, Lily moved closer to him. She took his hand in hers and moved it away from his face.

Silently, she reached up and kissed his jaw very lightly.

Jack smiled slightly as she drew away, and she turned towards the door, tugging him with her - as much as she wanted to stay with him, she knew they needed to get on with what was going on.

By the time they got downstairs, they saw the others gathered around and joined them.

The nostrovite had indeed been impersonating Rhys's mother, and still was, but now the claws were out and her eyes red. She had Gwen's mother by the neck, holding her with her clawed hand, while the Torchwood team pointed their guns at her.

" Mum! " Gwen cried out, though Jack was soon at her side, telling her not to move, Lily on her other side.

" The bond between mother and child is a wonderful thing," sneered the nostrovite.

" Let her go," Gwen begged, and Lily could sympathise with her, because she kenw how she'd feel if anyone hurt her dad - and how she did feel on the many occasions that someone _had _hurt her dad.

" Your mother, for my child," the nostrovite told Gwen.

" No deal," Jack said at once.

" You don't have a say," the nostrovite told Jack.

" Don't listen to it Gwen," Gwen's mother said, terrified.

" Mum, it's okay," Gwen said urgently, " I'll make sure you're safe. It won't kill you, you'll be fine. "

" You can't do this," Rhys insisted.

" It's my mum! " Gwen returned sharply. Looking at Jack, she mouthed "gun" and glanced down at her bouquet. Jack nodded and Gwen turned to her mother and the nostrovite.

She calmly moved forwards towards the nostrovite, giving words of encouragement to her mother, and once she was close enough, the nostrovite through aside her mother and made a move for her.

When the nostrovite darted towards her, Gwen shot it several times in the chest, her gun poking through her bouquet of flowers. The nostrovite started backwards, and then turned around and ran into the building.

" That's the kind of daughter every mother must dream of," Owen muttered, " cool as ice and packing an automatic. "

" Owen, get Gwen ready," Jack ordered, turning around to look at him, " the rest of you, hang around the lobby, keep an eye on the guests, try and make everyone calm. "

**" **Good luck, Owen," Lily said, laying a hand on his shoulder gently as everyone else started to drift off.

" What if ... what if I can't do it? " asked Owen.

" Don't you dare talk like that," warned Lily, " you're going to do this - it's going to be fine. "

Owen went off, and as instructed, the others walked around the grounds and the lobby, keeping an eye on everyone and keeping an eye out for the nostrovite, giving Owen the time to operate on Gwen.

At one point, Jack went off to use the toilet, and Lily walked around with Tosh - they weren't sure where the nostrovite was now, since it was a shape shifter.

After a while, Lily and Tosh were in the hotel lobby and Lily noticed Owen striding towards them. He looked absolutely fuming and Lily wondered what the hell was going wrong with him.

Once he reached them, he only had eyes for Lily, and they were eyes full of a concern which wasn't natural for Owen.

" Where's Jack? " he demanded, " he's not with you? "

"He ... he went to the toilet, I think," Lily said hesitantly, not sure what was wrong with Owen.

Owen sighed and reached out, putting a hand on her upper arm and rubbing gently. He seemed to be struggling to find the words and he sighed again, " Listen, sweetheart," he said, " I left Gwen and Rhys to have a little chat, and when I came back, Rhys wasn't in there ... but Jack was. I saw them talking ... they sounded ... very close, and they ... I'm sorry, but they were about to kiss. "

Lily's jaw dropped in shock and she shook her head, " N-no," she said, not believing it at all, " are - are you serious? "

" Yeah," Owen said, " I know what I saw, and then I came straight down here to find you - I had to make sure you weren't nearby, and weren't going to walk in on it, but ... you had to know. "

" No ... you must be mistaken," Lily said, " Jack loves me. He wouldn't ... he .. he wouldn't," she repeated. She was certain of it, but couldn't understand why Owen would have seen that. " He wouldn't," she repeaed, shaking her head.

She couldn't believe it at all and she knew Jack wouldn't do that.

Before she had time to think about it any more, Jack was walking towards them with his effortless grin plastered across his face. The next thing any of them knew, Owen had suddenly seen red and hit Jack straight across the face, sending him stumbling backwards.

" How could you? " he demanded as Jack straightened up and looked at him in complete confusion, " I love her like a sister, and I won't have you walking all over her. How could you do that to her? "

Jack looked from Owen to Lily in confusion and shock and shook his head. He was completely bewildered, and asked, " What the hell are you talking about? "

" Don't deny it! " Owen snapped, " I saw you - up there - with Gwen! You were all over her! "

Jack's eyes widened and he turned his attention to Lily, " Baby, I didn't. I wouldn't. That's ... you _know _that's ridiculous. I'd ... I didn't! "

Lily held up a hand to silence Owen, who was about to speak again and she looked Jack straight in the eye. She knew he wasn't lying and she nodded, " I know you wouldn't," she said simply.

" But if he didn't, then who was it? " Owen demanded hotly, " you can't tell me it was someone who happened to look exactly like him! "

They all stopped and exchanged the same look.

" Shape shifter! " Jack exclaimed, turning and running up the stairs, closely followed by Owen. Jack turned back and shouted, " find Ianto - all of you come up here! "

Lily - who had never doubted Jack for a second and didn't give another thought to it - turned in the other direction and raced through the gardens until she caught sight of Ianto. She ran at him, followed by Tosh, and when she reached him, she caught hold of his arm to give herself time to catch her breath.

He looked at her, but was used to her being strange, so he overlooked it.

She pointed a finger over at the building, still catching her breath, and she mumbled words including "Gwen" "Jack" "shapeshifter" and "now!"

Ianto followed her at once, and the three of them rushed off to the bridal suite.

When they got there, Gwen, Rhys and the nostrovite were all gone.

" What happened? " Ianto asked, looking around the room.

" Gwen and Rhys were gone by the time we got here," Jack supplied, " but the nostrovite was still hanging around. "

" Yeah," Owen added, " the problem is, I emptied a clip of bullets into that thing, and so did Jack. But the mother instinct or something is making that bitch unstoppable. Our guns don't work. "

" Unless we get bigger guns? " Ianto suggested.

" It's not all about guns, you lot," Lily sighed in exasperation.

The next ten minutes or so were action packed and dangerous.

Gwen and Rhys had confined themselves in a barn, with the nostrovite tracking them down. The Torchwood team watched as Jack used the newly assembled large gun to blast down the barn door.

Lily watched with a spellbound expression as Jack blasted the nostrovite down. He looked like something out an an epic movie, and the way he could always solve anything made her grin - he was just such a hero - every girl needed a hero, she thought.

When the nostrovite was dead, and Rhys had gotten rid of Gwen's baby with the singularity scalpel, Jack took Rhys hand and Gwen's hand and clasped them together.

" The hero always gets the girl," he told Rhys with a smile, before turning away from them.

When he rejoined Lily and the others, Lily was grinning at him. She slowly slipped Ianto's jacket from her shoulders, revealing her dress and body again.

She held the jacket out to Ianto and smiled and him in thanks, and then looked back at Jack.

" The hero always gets the girl," she said, taking a small step closer to him, " and you're definitley a hero, Jack ... " she moved even closer and the others drifted off towards Gwen to give Jack and Lily their space, " so come and get me. "

Jack grinned and put his hands on her hips, pulling her to him so her body was pressed against his.

He smiled at her for a moment, and then pressed his lips against hers slowly. She grinned against his lips and slid her arms around his neck, returning the kiss with as much passion and vigour as he did.

He groaned against her lips, and she smiled a little, pulling away from him. He moaned in protest and she giggled, tapping his nose, " Patience, Jack, patience. "

" Screw patience," Jack said, leaning towards her again.

She grinned and they shared another long hungry kiss, before Owen shouted across,

" Hey! Lovebirds! Gwen's getting married - are you coming or not? "

" Ooh, wedding! " Lily grinned, grabbing Jack's hand and pulling him towards where the others were. They made sure Gwen was fine, and then everyone moved back towards the building, ready for the ceremony to take place.

Once they were all in the hotel chapel, Lily was standing between Jack and Tosh, with Owen on Tosh's other side, and Ianto at Jack's side.

" Hey," Owen said, leaning over Tosh and Lily to tell Jack," I'm sorry about ... you know ... punching you. "

" Don't worry about it," Jack said, shaking his head, " you were doing it out of defence for Lily. I quite like that. If I _had _actually hurt her, you'd have had my full permission. "

" Shhh," Lily said, nudging them both, " Gwen's coming. "

The strains of the wedding march started, and Gwen, with a flat stomach and in her original wedding dress, was gliding down the aisle on her father's arm.

The service was beautiful, and by the time the vows were exchanged, Lily's eyes were full of silent tears - watching the whole thing seemed so beautiful and magical it was unbelieveable, and by the time Gwen and Rhys were pronounced man and wife, silent tears dripped down Lily's cheeks.

" You're such a romantic," Jack said quietly, wiping the tear away from her cheek with his thumb and kissing the top of her head. She smiled and they held hands tightly as they watched Gwen and Rhys walk past them with happy smiles across their faces - Lily just thought it was all magical.

At the reception, Gwen and Rhys took the first dance, and Ianto, Jack, Tosh, Owen and Lily sat at a table together, just talking away.

" You should have brought the girlfriend," Owen told Ianto with a smirk, " because who are you going to dance with, when everyone else is all off ... being couples and ... stuff. "

" Leave him alone," said Lily with a little smile, " you really do pick on him too much. " Grinning at Ianto, she asked, " aren't you going to ask a girl to dance? "

Ianto glanced a little at Jack, and then looked back at Lily, " Would you like to dance? " he asked, standing up and offering one hand to her.

Lily smiled and she enjoyed a dance with Ianto. While she was dancing with him, Owen tapped Ianto on the shoulder and asked if he could cut in.

Lily looked at him in suprise, " Dancing? You? "

" I don't pretend to be good at it," Owen shrugged, " but I thought I could at least try. "

" Well, that's very sweet of you," Lily said, taking hold of one of his hands, while she settled the other on his shoulder. They moved around a little, but not much, and Lily looked at Owen carefully, " you know something? " she asked.

" No, what? " asked Owen, raising one eyebrow.

" You were so good today, coming to my aid, when you thought Jack had cheated on me," she said, " and you said ... you said you loved me like a sister. "

" Yeah," Owen said, smiling a little, " I don't normally _do _love, but I think ... I think having you as a friend is the closest I'll get. "

" Thank you," Lily said with a smile, not quite able to believe she was hearing this right.

" Oh," he added after a puse, " but don't - "

" Don't tell anyone, I know, I know," she said, " why you can't just let people believe you're a decent person, is beyond me. "

While Owen and Lily did a strange imitation of a dance, Jack and Ianto were leant up against the bar. As always, Jack's eyes were fixed on Lily, and as always, he had a smile fixed on his face.

" I'm going to do it," Jack said firmly, confirming what he'd been thinking about all day.

" Do it? " Ianto asked, raising his eyebrows, " now? Really? I mean, I know you thought about it, but ... "

" Yeah," Jack said, " I just want to do this - I love her, Ianto. "

" I _know," _Ianto said, " everyone you've ever had any contact with at all, _knows_. "

Jack nodded firmly, " I can't take it any longer - I just want to ask her. I know she'll be so thrilled - I .. I just want to see the look on her face. I need to do it. "

" Then stop telling me all this and get over there! " Ianto said, pointing a finger at the dancefloor.

Jack grinned, " I'm waiting for the best moment. I don't want all these people hanging around - I want it to be just us. She wouldn't want a load of humans in the way ... no offence. "

" You could wait until the retcon kicks in for these lot," Ianto shrugged, looking around at the wedding guests, who had had their champagne spiked with retcon to make them forget the events of the day.

" Yeah," Jack said, " will you ... will you sort out the music, like we talked about? "

" Of course," Ianto nodded.

There was a pause, and Jack looked at him, realising how odd this was, considingerin their own past relationship, " Listen, Ianto," he said, " I hope ... "

" That I'm okay with this? " Ianto scoffed, shaking his head, " really Jack, get over yourself. I am absolutely fine. It seems like forever ago, and besides ... I've got a girlfriend these days. A perfectly normal girlfriend. And I can't imagine anyone better for you than Lily. "

For the rest of the night, Jack and Lily had a few dances together, but Jack kept the thought of the proposal all to himself.

After a while, Lily sighed and stopped moving, " Jack," she breathed, shaking her head, " my feet are killing me - you're going to kill me at this rate. "

Jack rolled his eyes, " Come on," he said, though he was smiling as he wrapped his arm around her waist. They sat down with Gwen, Rhys, Ianto, Tosh and Owen. The rest of the party was very quiet by now, and they were all sat down.

Jack took a seat, and he wrapped his other arm around Lily's waist, pulling her onto his lap when she tried to make a move for her own seat.

She giggled and leaned back against him, as he planted a firm kiss against her temple.

" You'd never think," Rhys said, looking around at the dozing guests, " that a few hours ago, they all nearly got torn apart y some alien psycho-bitch. "

Gwen looked around and noticed almost everyone asleep and shook her head, " Jack," she started, sounding amused, " what's going on? "

" Strange thing, when you mix level six retcon with champagne," Jack said calmly, " really makes the party go with a swing, and then you fall asleep. "

" You mean you retconned our families? " Gwen asked.

Jack gave a mock gasp and then nodded.

" Probably for the best," agreed Gwen, " I don't want my mother to remember what happened to her today. "

Jack glanced at her uneasily and he eyed two champane glasses on the table, " Maybe the happy couple shouldn't, either? "

" No," Gwen said quickly, before looking at Rhys and smiling, " there'll be no secrets in this marriage, thank you. "

" A very good idea," Lily smiled, her hand which was on the back of Jack's head gently running its fingers through the back of his hair.

" Time for bed, I think," Rhys told Gwen, to which she smiled. She stood up and hugged them, thanking them, and telling them she'd see them after the honeymoon.

Once they were gone, Jack looked around at Owen, Tosh and Ianto.

" Something tells me bedtime's a long way off," Toshiko sighed.

Jack nodded, " You got that right. It's been a busy day and we've got a major clean up ahead of us. We don't go until this is perfect. "

" That's what I love about Torchwood," Ianto said, standing up, " by day, you're chasing the scum of the universe, but come night time, you're the wedding fairy. "

" Suppose I'd better start cleaning up then," Lily said, after Tosh, Owen and Ianto had all gotten up. She slid up off Jack's lap, but he stood up, quickly following her, and asked,

" Where do you think you're going? " in a teasing tone.

" You just said we had a major clean up operation ahead of us," Lily pointed out.

Jack shrugged, " Maybe. But first, I want to dance. "

Lily groaned, " But kitten, my feet ache too much now in these shoes. I just can't. "

" Yes you can," Jack said, " because look around you - we've got this whole dancefloor to ourselves. Take the shoes off if you have to - bin them for all I care. I don't know ... throw them out of the window. Now ... " he held out his hand to her, " come on. "

Lily smiled, and moved closer so he could take hold of her hand.

He led her to the middle of the dance floor, and she saw him glance over to the music - over there, Ianto was stood, and the next thing Lily knew, the very familiar song played out.

" Ooh, look at that," Jack said with a smile, " Moonlight Serenade - what a coincidence. Care to dance, Madam? " he asked bowing his head.

" Captain, I'd be delighted," she replied, grinning at the choice of music, which was their song - the song they'd danced to the very first time they met.

Jack put one of his hands on her waist and she had one on his shoulder, while the other hands were clasped tightly together. Jack began to lead the dance, making it an elegant sort of movement around the dance floor.

They smiled at each other but barely spoke, and it wasn't long before their dance turned into a slow dance, barely moving, but just holding each other close. They moved a little, and Lily looked up at him with a smile.

" Do you think life will always be this perfect? " Lily asked him with a contented smile.

" Depends on your definition of perfect," Jack smirked, locking eyes with her as he spun her out and back in again with ease. He reached out and caressed her cheek gently, " but where you're concerned, life will always be perfect. "

Lily smiled and as they started to dance again, he found her gaze drifting from his eyes down to his jaw, where a purplish bruise was forming as a result of both Rhys and Owen punching him.

" Dear me," Lily sighed, both of her hands clinging to the front of his greatcoat by now, " this poor jaw of yours has taken a battering today. Does it hurt? "

" Nothing I can't handle," Jack said, before smirking, " although, it might be a little bit better if you could .. ah ... kiss it better. "

" Just was I was thinking," Lily said, tilting her head up and planning a very light kiss on Jack's jaw. She loved his strong masculine jaw line and being so close to him, she could smell the pheremones pouring off him. She sighed in contentment and kissed his jaw again and again lightly.

As she did so, she nibbled gently at his flesh, and Jack's hand moved to her head as he closed his eyes let her kiss her way along his jaw and up his cheek, raining light kisses which felt amazing.

When she kissed his lips suddenly, his eyes slowly opened.

He grinned at her and put one of his hands on her cheek, and kept the other on her waist. He looked deep into her eyes and she felt like he could see into her soul or something. He then leaned in and kissed her in the way that always made her melt.

When they broke their kiss, Lily rested her forehead against his, as she gripped the front of his jacket tightly, feeling like his perfect kisses would make her lose proper use of her legs otherwise.

" I love you," Jack mumbled as they stood close together, him leant down so his forehead touched Lily's.

" I love you," Lily replied. Jack laughed and kissed her cheek, preparing himself for the moment, as he moved to her ear, his nose buried in her hair, his breath tickling her ear.

" Marry me," he whispered.

Lily's hearts pounded ten times faster as he wondered if she's heard right. She stared at him, and now the moment was deadly serious - she felt so stunned and her lips moved but no sound came out.

The rest seemed to happen in slow motion. Jack pulled away from her, sunk down onto one knee in front of her, and pulled out a little red velvet box from his pocket. He opened the box to show her a dazzling diamond ring and by now, he was grinning from ear to ear.

" I love you," he said, taking hold of one of her hands, " you're the most beautiful woman in the universe, you make me laugh, you're clever, you're passionate about what you believe in, you know me inside out, and I'm ten times the man I was before I met you. I need you in my life, Lily Smith ... Last of the female time lords. I _want _you to be around forever, and more than anything, I want to be able to call you my wife. Would you please _please _do me the honour of becoming my wife? "

Tears were pricking at Lily's eyes by now, and she was beaming away - Jack thought she looked like an angel. She knew right away what her answer was - she'd always known it - but Jack had gone to great lengths to tell her exactly how he felt, and it was just so romantic ... she was going to do exactly the same.

" Yes," she breathed, the first tear rolling down her cheek, " yes, of course I will," she whispered through her tears, getting down on her knees and getting on the same level as him.

She reached out and put her hands on his chest, where they travelled over his chest and shoulders and back again slowly, " Jack Harkness, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I can't think of anything better than being Mrs Harkness. " She sniffed and shook her head, willing herself to continue - by now Jack was almost filling up with tears of joy too, " You're ... you're ... you're just amazing, and I ... yes. "

Jack grinned and leaned in to kiss her. It was a long kiss, and when they broke apart, Lily giggled,

" We're engaged? " she asked, " we're ... we're really engaged. "

Jack slid the ring onto her finger, and both of them stared at it, admiring it, before their eyes met, " We're engaged," Jack agreed, bursting out into a wide grin, " we're going to get married. "

He stood up and pulled Lily to her feet with him, enveloping her into a warm hug, which lasted longer than usual as each clung to the other. He pushed her hair away from her ear and whispered, " Let's go home and celebrate. "

" What about cleaning all this up? " Lily asked, though she didn't want to stay either.

Jack was already dragging her away by the hand and she didn't even notice Owen, Tosh and Ianto had all been watching them - she didn't notice them watching as they left, and she didn't register Jack shouting over his shoulder, telling Ianto they'd see them all in the morning - she was far too busy looking at her handsome fiance and imagining their future.

**Author's Note: I am now seriously considering the fates of Owen and Tosh and can't decide what to do with them, because I love them both and would have to work them into children of earth if I didn't kill them, so I'm going to put it to my lovely readers. What do you think?**

**Also, hope you liked the engagement - let me know what you thought. Not quite sure when I'm going to do their actual wedding, so open to ideas on that too.**


	18. Sharing the News

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Eighteen

Lily and Jack didn't sleep at all that night. Once they ran away from the wedding reception, both absolutely thrilled at their new engagement, they went straight home. Jack pulled her through the hub, stopping to push her up against the wall and kiss her multiples time in excitement, on the way, before they clambered down the ladder to their bedroom.

They spent the entire night making love, and were now curled up together, their bodies pressed as close as possible.

" What a night," Jack said with an exhilerated grin, one of his hands trailing down her back, to rest on her behind.

" Mmmm," Lily grinned, " reminds me exactly why I'm with you. If that's what getting engaged does to you, then what's going to happen once we get married? "

Jack grinned, " You're going to be a very lucky woman, is what," he replied.

Lily smirked and rolled over, lifting herself up and swinging her leg over so she was straddling him. Jack leaned back with a satisfied smirk and enjoyed the view, and Lily ran her hands over his bare chest.

" _Who's_ going to be lucky? " she asked with a smirk, trying to tease a reaction out of him. She knew that in these moments, where they bounced teasing little comments at each other and tried to gage a reaction, that they were perfectly matched, and each knew how to play the other.

Jack didn't reply, and Lily smirked smugly and leaned down so her breasts brushed against his chest lightly, " Who's .. going ... to .. be ... very ... very ... lucky? " she asked, punctuating each word with a kiss, starting at his collarbone and working her way up his neck.

" Alright, alright," Jack said with a pant, " _I_ am - now come here! "

She laughed and finally rewarded him with a kiss to the lips, a long slow kiss, durig which both of them closed their eyes in contentment. When they broke apart, Lily sighed and slid off him, much to his disappointment.

He rolled over one his side to face her and tried to sling an arm around her waist.

She giggled and shifted back a little to avoid him, " What time is it? " she asked him lazily.

" I don't know," Jack muttered, turning away to look at the clock. His eyes widened when he saw it, and he turned back to look at her, " quarter to ten," he said.

Lily swore and sat up - everyone came into work for eight o clock, and Jack and Lily were usually up and about before then. She knew that she had a mountain of paperwork sitting on her desk that she'd planned to get through - if anything should happen and they got called out, she wouldn't have time to deal with the paperwork that was piling up.

She climbed over Jack and threw the wardrobe doors open, looking for her clothes. She grabbed the first few things she saw and quickly got changed, before turning to the door.

" Hey, wait," Jack pouted, in a tone of voice which made her smile - the tone of voice she could never resist. She turned around to look at him, as he sat up in the bed, the sheets falling down to reveal his chest.

She took his face in her hands gently and stroked his cheeks with her thumbs.

" Thank you," she said softly and sincerely.

" For ... ? " he promted, looking confused, which she thought was adorable - for all his sexy moves and ways, he would be so sweet too.

" Just being you," she said, leaning in and kissing his lips briefly, " I'm so glad I've got you. "

Jack smiled, " Me too," he said, as she turned away. He caught hold of her hand just before she was too far away and pulled her back to him, so he could plant a kiss on the back of her hand, while admiring her ring at the same time.

She grinned and left him, to go upstairs.

Once she'd climbed the ladder and gotten into Jack's office, she went through to the rest of the hub. She headed first to her desk, which was opposite Tosh's workstation.

There, she found Tosh and Owen stood together talking.

" What time do you call this? " Owen demanded, shaking his head at her, " it's ten o clock! If we have to work, then so do you. I was all set for coming down there and dragging the pair of you up here to do some work, but Ianto kept going "Oh, let them have some time together" and "Ooh, I think they're cute, leave them to it." "

" Yeah, good morning to you too, Owen," Lily said, rolling her eyes, though he didn't really bother her.

" What's up, don't you have clocks down there? " he asked, continuing as if he hadn't heard her, " I mean, it's a joke. Why should we have to come to work when you and the boss don't bother coming up here to work? "

" Owen," Tosh said, shaking her head, " it's not like you've done much work yet. You came into work an hour late yourself, and then you messed about on Facebook on your computer. Leave her alone. "

" We were celebrating," Lily said, holding up her left hand and indicating the ring. The smile on her face was impossible to get rid of, and she felt like the smile was glued to her face. With a giggle, she added, " we got engaged last night. "

" We know," Tosh smiled, " we saw. " She sighed, " it all looked so romantic ... the music, the dancing, the down on one knee, the kissing, the hugging, the running away. Oh, congratulations. "

Lily smiled and hugged Tosh.

As Owen watched them, he cleared his throat, " Still ... " he said, though his tone lacked conviction, and he was obviously letting the whole thing go, " you could have ... well ... I hope you won't always be leaving all the work to us. "

There was a light tut from behind them, and Ianto said, " Leave the poor girl alone, Owen," Ianto said, " she and Jack have got every reason to celebrate. "

Lily turned around and saw him standing there with a steaming mug of coffee for her, she raised her eyebrows at him, wondering how he'd known she was even around, when he replied,

" I figured you'd be up soon," he said by way of explanation, putting the cup down on her desk, " just a feeling. " He eyed her hair, which was messy and tousled up and added, " no need to ask if you had a good night's sleep. "

Lily grinned wickedly, and nodded, " Had a very good night ... not so sure about the sleep ... thank you, by the way," she added.

Ianto raised one eyebrows, and Lily scoffed,

" Please," she said, " Jack did _not _happen to ask me to dance at the moment our song came on. _Nor _did he organise the music himself - thank you, honey. It was really lovely. "

Ianto smiled modestly, a blush rising across his cheeks, and Lily reached out to hug him.

" Congratulations," Ianto said, as he hugged her back briefly, though his smile was genuine.

Soon, Jack came into the room, and the four of them stood around talking, as more congratulations were passed around on the engagement. Lily found out that Owen and Ianto had known he was going to propose before he actually did, and was quite impressed that they'd managed to keep it quiet.

They all spoke for a while longer, and by the time Lily actually sat down to start on her paperwork, she went to pick up a piece from the pile only to find the pile gone.

" No," she sighed, making the others look at her, " no, no, no! The bloody paperwork's gone! It's all missing - what did I do with it? No! "

" Actually," Ianto said quietly, " I did it for you this morning. Filed it away too. You're welcome. "

Lily was suprised, and she shook her head, " You - you did? Oh Ianto, thank you," she smiled in relief, and confusion as to why he'd done it.

" Consider it an engagement present," smiled Ianto.

" We have to get you a present? " Owen asked, groaning.

" That reminds me," Tosh said, holding up a hand to indicate that she'd be back in a moment. She got under the desk and started rummaging around, until she brought out a large wrapped box, " here we are," she said, " just a little something I bought on my way in this morning. "

Lily accepted the box with a grateful smile, while Jack kissed Tosh's cheek by way of thanks.

Ianto said something about needing to get back to work, so he went off, as did Owen, and Lily grinned at Jack, " Can we open it now? " she asked him with a pout.

" Hell yeah," Jack grinned, already reached for the wrapping paper before she did. She protested and told him to wait for her, and soon joined him in ripping away the paper.

It revealed a chocolate cake with their names written in on white icing, along with a congratulations.

" Thank you," Lily said with a smile, " you didn't have to buy us anything, you know. "

" I know," Tosh shrugged, " but what sort of a friend would I be otherwise? "

Lily laughed, " That," she said, " is why you're my very best girl friend. When you get engaged, don't let me forget to buy you a massive, massive cake. Or two. Three? No, maybe not three. Might depend on who you get married to - I'll buy you three if you marry a fat person, if you want? "

Tosh laughed, " You are actually mental," she said.

Lily shrugged, " It's not my fault. It's a hereditary thing. " She suddenly turned to Jack with wide eyed and the mad gleam of excitement in them, as she said, " Ooh, I haven't told my dad! I'm going to ring my dad! " She sighed suddenly, patting her jeans pocket for her phone and finding that it wasn't there.

Jack smiled fondly, loving her enthusiasm towards everything. He smiled and said, " Use the office phone if you want, baby," he said, his lips twitching into a smirk, which made her suspicious, though she wasn't interested in asking him what was going on, because she was eager to tell her dad she was getting married.

She hurried to the office and sank into Jack's desk chair, swinging around on it to reach for the phone. She dialled her dad's number, which she knew by heart.

Suprisingly, he answered the phone, with a,

" Hello? " he asked.

" Dad, it's me," Lily said, certain that he'd be able to hear her smile right down the phone.

" Oh," he said, clearly sounding suprised, " hey Lils - everything alright? "

" Everything is fine," Lily said, " in fact, it's more than fine. " She sighed happily, " Oh, Daddy, you won't believe it. It's just amazing - oh, I'm so happy! " She laughed and heard her dad laugh a little in bemusement as he tried to work out what she was talking about.

" Do you want to tell me about it? " the Doctor asked cooly, " or am I supposed to guess? Oh wait ... oh! Oh! I think I can guess. "

" You can? " Lily asked in suprise, " Oh. Well don't ruin it, I want to tell someone ... " she tried to pause for effect but it all came rushing out anyway, " Jack asked me to marry him! " she cried, waiting for his reaction.

" And you said? " the Doctor prompted slowly, as he waited for her to finish the story.

" Yes, obviously! " Lily laughed, " do you even need telling? Oh God, Dad, it was such a suprise - I never thought Jack was the marrying kind. Not when we first met him. I'm so happy - really happy. I never ... oh God, I want to be his wife. I want to be able to call him my husand - I can't explain it. I just ... oh it's amazing. I really didn't think he was the marrying kind. "

" He doesn't have to be the marrying kind, " the Doctor said, " the pair of you have been together, what? More than a year and a half, if you're counting from your reunion? Plus the time from before he "died". You're perfect together. "

Lily's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she said, " You're taking this very well. "

The Doctor cleared his throat, " Yeah, well, got to let my girl go sometime, haven't I? "

" You'renot even suprised," Lily pointed out, before realisation dawned on her, " you knew he was going to, didn't you? Did he tell you? "

" No," the Doctor replied, " he _asked _me. I thought that took some courage and it showed me a great deal of respect. Of course he had my permission at once, and I ... well, it doesn't matter if you're living here with me, or if you're married to him and living on Earth, does it? You're always goin to be my daughter. I think ... I think I'm really okay with this. In fact, I know I'm okay, if you're happy. "

" I am," Lily sighed.

" Oh, I know," the Doctor replied. There was a slight pause, before he asked, " so, when's the wedding? "

Lily laughed, " How do _I _know? We only just got engaged, we haven't even thought about it. Oh God, how am I going to plan a wedding? Ooh, there's a scary thought. Organisation isn't my best skill. Running away yeah, organising, no. "

" That's why you enlist the help of others, Lils," her dad replied, " when I married your mother, she had about three or four friends involved. And one of her aunts. It was a nightmare ... the amount of times I walked into a room to find them all poured over magazines and kicking me out of the room. Jack's got it all to look forward to. "

" Jack'll probably be worse than me," Lily replied with a shrug, " I don't have the first clue where to start with this. I was thinking actually, how are we going to get married by someone proper - I don't have any documents to say who I am! "

" You could always forge some? " the Doctor suggested, " you're Torchwood for god's sake, I'm sure you'll manage. Failing that, you get UNIT to send someone who knows the whole time-lord doctor's daughter deal, which is just about anyone who works for UNIT. Look, don't worry about it. Just make sure you ... I don't know ... I'm no good at planning things like this. I'll leave it all to you - I'd just be in your way. "

" Thanks," Lily said breezily, " no, I'm sure I'll love it once we get into it. Ooh, I just can't wait to be his wife - Mrs Lily Harkness. How amazing does that sound? "

" Just let me know when the wedding is, and I'll show up," the Doctor said.

" You'd better," Lily warned him, " because I can't get married without my daddy there. In fact, I'll make sure you're here at least a week before the wedding, so I know you're here. What're you up to anyway? "

The Doctor sucked in a breath, " Oh, yeah, little bit of bother actually. Only a tiny bit. Really tiny bit. "

" Dad," Lily sighed, " how much trouble are you really in? "

" Basically," the Doctor said, sounding as if he didn't want to admit it, " I've lost Donna, and I'm stuck in the TARDIS with Robin Hood. There's these invisible horses outside, trying to kill us, so we've had to lock ourselves in. And I don't know what I'm going to ... ah! I just thought of something! "

Lily frowned, " If they're invisible, how do you know they're horses? "

" What? Oh, they smell like horses," the Doctor replied, distracted, and she could tell he was doing something else now.

" Did you say Robin Hood's there? " Lily asked mildly.

" Yep. "

" Oh. Say hi from me," Lily told him.

" Hey," the Doctor warned her, " you're engaged to be married, now. You can't go around flirting with any passing historical figure. "

" Of course I can," Lily said, " Jack flirts with everything that moves. If he can, so can I. As long as he doesn't do anything else, then it's really not a problem. "

" You two are impossible," the Doctor said, " you know, when some people think of marriage, they think of a nice couple, living in a nice house in the suburbs, with a couple of kids. The wife wearing a checkered apron and teaching the kids how to cook, the husband mowing the lawn in a pair of flip flops, shorts and sunglasses. Then there's you two. "

" Yeah, well we're nothing like other people," Lily said, " we can't help that. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll have a house and some kids. "

" Kids? " the Doctor echoed, suddenly getting all awkward and fatherly. He cleared his throat, " okay, let's get one thing straight, Lily. You getting married, I can just about deal with. You making me a grandad, I'm not so sure about. "

" It's not like it'd be your first grandchild," Lily pointed out, " what about Susan? "

The Doctor shrugged, " Yeah, but that was a long time ago .. long before you. Susan's mother wasn't around, and you know I just sort ... adopted her. Hey! This isn't about Susan anyway. I don't think I can cope with you having kids. I certainly couldn't cope with having to babysit them for you. "

" Good job Jack and I haven't talked about kids then, isn't it? " Lily said in an offhand manner, " we're perfectly happy as we are. "

" Good," the Doctor said.

" Yeah, good," Lily said.

There was a pause, before the Doctor said, " Ooh, I'm so happy for you, darling. Well done - oh, I know how happy you must be. Now, I really have to go, but you make sure Jack looks after you, won't you? "

" He always does," Lily said with a smile, " he's the best. "

" I know. Jack's a good friend - I like him. I can think of many worse people to have as my son in law, and you can tell him that one, if you dont think it'll make his head too big. Your call." the Doctor said, " I'll try and speak to you soon. You keep me updated on what's going on, you hear? "

" Course I will," Lily said, her grin still plastered over her face, " Talk to you soon. I love you. "

" I love you," the Doctor replied, before their conversation ended.

Lily smiled as she hung up the phone. She thought of the little suburban picture her dad had painted of married life. When she imagined it, it was nothing like that.

Lily imagined that she and Jack would have two or three children, and they'd continue to work at Torchwood with Owen, Gwen, Ianto and Tosh, but they'd live in a flat in the town, because the hub wouldn't be big enough or a family to live in - not in the little bedroom she and Jack shared, unless their kids wanted to sleep in the medical bay or the vaults.

She often imagined that she'd be working away at her desk, while Jack made frantic phone calls, Ianto made coffee, Gwen did paperwork, Owen disected alien bodies, and Tosh installed computer software, while the Harkness children would run around, cause chaos and annoy their "aunts" and "uncles" until their grandad came to take them off in a TARDIS trip for a few days.

The office door opened, and Jack peered in. He looked at her, and when he saw that she was no longer on the phone, he pushed the door all the way open. He came in the room, and closed the door after him, leaning back against the door and folding his arms, while Lily sat on the edge of his desk.

" Are you alright? " he asked her, " you're just sort of ... sitting there. Smiling. "

" I was thinking," Lily shrugged, " it doesn't matter. And I'm smiling because I'm very very happy. "

She stood up, and Jack looked at her, " How did your dad take it? " he asked her carefully.

She laughed, " He was fine. And you _knew _he would be. I ... I didn't think you'd have asked for his permission, you big romantic softy! "

" Of course I did," Jack said, raising an eyebrows at her, " I like your dad - he's a great guy. Amazing friend. I wanted to make sure he was alright - I know what you mean to him. "

" He's fine," said Lily with a smile, " I think you're in his good books right now. He said he likes you, and there's many worse people who I could marry. I think that's a very big compliment coming from an overprotective father. "

" I'll consider myself lucky," Jack nodded.

" Dad's really happy for us," Lily said softly, " I ... I'll never be able to tell you how much I love you. There ... there aren't enough words, Jack. "

" You don't need to tell me," Jack said, " that's what's so great about us. I love it when you tell me, but I know anyway. It's like an instinct with you - I just ... know. "

Lily smiled, shaking her head, " Isn't that the most romantic thing? What happened to the Jack I used to know - the one I met ooooh, nearly 70 years ago. "

Jack grinned, thinking of 1941. " He became a better man," Jack said seriously, " you see, he met this wonderful woman, and she showed him that he didn't have to be a conman and a sneak. She taught him that the best way to live his life was to be a good man. Then he fell in love with her, and never looked back. In _fact ... _I think they're getting married soon. "

" _Are _they? " Lily asked with a mock gasp.

At Jack's nod, she got up and walked across the office. He didn't step aside to give her access to the door and let her out, instead drawing himself up to full height and smirking down at her, purposely blocking her way.

" Jack," Lily sighed, though she wasn't in much of a rush to get out, " get out of the way. "

" No," he said, smirking smugly.

" Jack," she whined, laying both of her hands on his chest lightly and pushing against his chest lightly, " come on, move it. " When he still didn't move, she said, " Jack! Come on, I'm not asking you again. "

" Alright, alright," Jack sighed, grasping hold of both of her wrists and holding them in the air, " is this how married life is going to be? You're going to boss me around all the time, and I'm supposed to accept it. "

" Yeah," Lily said, as though it were obvious.

Jack sighed, " What am I going to do with you? I'll tell you what - I'll trade you, a kiss for free passage out of my office. "

" Go on then," Lily shrugged, wrapping her arms around his neck and he grabbed her at the waist. Jack slowly lowered his face to his, and their lips met slowly. The kiss started slow, with tounges brushing against lips and hands travelling along bodies slowly and deliberately.

Before Lily knew what was happening, Jack had moved out of his position against the door and turned them around so she was the one backed against the door. The kiss became more passionate, as their mouths moved faster, and the kisses were harder.

Lily sighed with lust and threw her head back as Jack started to kiss her neck. She gripped his shoulders to keep herself upright as his pheremones took over her and a powerful wave of pheremones hit her.

She felt Jack's body up against hers, and he breathed in her ear, " Desk. _Now. _"

" Jack! " she gasped, giggling a little at the way he was so outrageous.

" Now, _please," _he repeated, " I'll get the blinds. "

Lily laughed, and decided there was no reason why they couldn't - it was Jack's office, Jack was the boss, and they'd do what they liked in there. It was one of the few rooms without CCTV - the only others being their bedroom and their bathroom - after all.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the hub, Owen and Ianto were stood together in the middle of the hub, talking, while Tosh played about with something she'd found hanging around in the archives.

" Where are those two? " Owen asked, shaking his head.

" Leave them alone," Ianto said, " they're _happy. "_

" Oh, you've changed your tune," Owen scoffed, " you didn't like Lily when she got here. You were jealous of her, weren't you? "

Ianto shrugged, " I might have still had a few last lingering feelings for Jack, but they were all gone a long time ago. They're both my friends, and I'm still getting to know my new girlfriend. "

Owen soon got bored of Ianto and he sighed, " I'm so bored," he said, " that's why I want those two around - I thought we could all have a game of hub basketball ... " he trailed off when he saw the blinds being pulled down in the office, " oh for God's sake! Do they have to? "

Ianto pulled a face, " That, I draw the line at. We don't need to hear them. "

An hour or so later, when Jack and Lily were still in Jack's office, now getting dressed, Jack glanced at Lily,

" You know, I've been thinking," he said, buttoning up his shirt, " of people we need to tell about the engagement. "

" Oh me too," Lily nodded, " I just remembered - I haven't told Martha yet. I think I'll give her a call. "

" Sorry," Jack grimaced, as Lily started to tie his tie for him, " I sort of ... I rang her while you were ringing the Doctor. "

Lily sighed, " Oh Jack, but I haven't actually told anyone about it yet. Everyone I've told already knew about it - Dad, Owen and Ianto, Tosh. "

" Then you can tell Gwen, if you want," Jack offered.

" Oh don't worry, I will," said Lily putting one of her shoes on, " but I wouldn't have minded telling someone closer to me without you getting in there first. "

" Lets make a deal then," Jack shrugged, " the next major announcement we have, you can spready the good news.

" Deal," Lily said, straightening her shirt.

" I wasn't think of Martha, anyway," Jack said, " I was thinking of my daughter. "

Lily looked at him in suprise - she sometimes forgot that Jack even had a daughter and a grandson. She knew his daughter was about 40 and his grandson 7 or 8 (or was it 9 or 10), but he rarely saw them. His daughter didn't trust him around her son, due to the dangerous nature of his job, and their contact was limited.

" Your ... your daughter? " Lily asked, trying to remain calm.

" Yes," Jack said, " I ... I've only seen Alice once seen you came here, and I mentioned you, but not much. I think she should know that I'm getting married. "

" Of course she should," Lily said, swallowing, as she imaged a scene in which she might meet Jack's daughter, and grandson, " you're her father. You should go see her. Make sure you invite her to the wedding, won't you? "

" Invite her? " Jack asked, " I mean, I want to, but are you alright with that? "

" They're your family, Jack," Lily pointed out, " of course I'm alright with that. They have to be there, don't they? Or at least, they have to have the choice. " She swallowed, " I think I'd like to meet them. "

" I love you for that," Jack said, kissing her cheek, " and many more things besides. "

One week later, Jack met up with his daughter, and came back telling Lily how they'd had a mildly sucessful meeting, and Alice had expressed a mild interest in meeting Lily - she insisted she couldn't bring young Steven to the wedding unless she knew what sort of woman Jack was marrying.

A week after that, Lily got to tell someone about the engagement (other than every single person who'd phoned the hub), and Gwen seemed very suprised, but pleased. Her congratulations seemed to be directed at Jack, but she told Lily she'd help her in any way she could.

In the two weeks since she'd promised to become Jack's wife, Lily had been impossibly happy, and the smile barely left her face.

It seemed to solidify their relationship, and Lily knew she could never live her life without him now.

**Author's Note: I am now planning Jack and Lily's wedding to myself, after coming to a pretty definite conclusion about Tosh and Owen. The biggest things I'm thinking about are the guests and the venue. I'm thinking of having the entire team there, maybe Ianto's as-yet-unseen girlfriend, the Doctor, Donna, Martha and family, Sarah Jane Smith, possibly Alice and Stephen. Let me know if there's anyone at all you fancy seeing there, and let me know if there's anywhere (or anywhen) you really want them to get married.**

**I'm also thinking about a regeneration for Lily, but need to decide how her character is going to change. Any ideas on the way her personality could change a bit, but enough to keep her Lily.**


	19. From Out of the Rain

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Nineteen

It had been little over two weeks since Jack and Lily had gotten engaged, and Lily had still not stopped smiling once. Gwen had been back from her honeymoon a couple of days, and had congratulated Jack and Lily, though she seemed extremely suprised.

The most important development to Lily, was Jack's relationship with his daughter.

He'd met up with her two days after the engagement and told her that he was going to get married. When he came back to the hub, he told Lily how Alice had been very suprised, but offered her congratulations. He'd invited her in passing, and she'd said she'd think about it.

Lily had told him that he ought to meet his daughter more often, if he wanted to have a proper relationship with her, but Jack had smiled sadly and told her Alice didn't want that.

However, he went to meet up with Alice again, just yesterday, under the pretence of giving her Lily's mobile number, in case she had any questions about the wedding. Alice had told Jack that she'd need to meet the woman he was going to marry if Steven was to go to the wedding - she said she couldn't have her son at the wedding if she knew nothing about the woman he was marrying.

Lily was thrilled at this, though they'd not yet agreed a date.

This particular morning, Lily was sitting on the edge of her desk, and Jack was stood up in front of her. Her legs were parted, and he was stood inbetween them, holding both of her hands in both of his and playing with them.

Around them, the others were sat at their desks, doing bits of work, though there wasn't too much to do. Yesterday had been a busy day, especially since Jack hadn't been around, as he was meeting up with Alice.

Instead, Lily was left in charge of everyone, and was responsible for stopping everyone from dying.

Now, everyone was catching up on paperwork and tidying up the loose ends from yesterdays ase, apart from Jack and Lily, who were, as usual, wrapped up in each other.

" So, I've been thinking," Jack said, playing about with her fingers, an irresistable smile on his face, " about the wedding? "

" Oh yeah? " Lily grinned - thoughts about the wedding had been flying around her head, but she had no idea how to actually go about planning a wedding.

" I was hoping for ... a Christmas wedding," he confessed, making her smile with the way he was so cute and into the idea of the wedding.

" Oh," Lily said, a smile crossing her face, " really? Christmas day? "

" If that's ok," Jack added quickly, " I mean, if you don't like it, we could always not bother. I'm happy with anything you want to do, but I - "

" Shhh," Lily said, shaking her head. She paused, and then added, " I love it! "

Jack laughed and leaned in towards her, kissing her lips gently and slowly, always showing her exactly how he loved her, with every single touch.

Lily sighed happily at the thought of a Christmas wedding - it could be lovely and snowing, and romantic and christmassy. It was almost October, which meant from now to christmas day, she had about three months to plan it.

" Christmas day," Lily grinned, moving her hands, which were on his chest, to around his neck, where she pulled his head down to hers.

They shared a couple of kisses, which ended with Jack planting a gentle kiss on her cheek, and whispering an " I love you," in her ear, his breath tickling her ear.

" I .. um ... I had an idea too," Lily said, " about a place to get married. See, I don't know about you, but I don't fancy a welsh church, or a little registry office, or a hotel. I don't think that's us. I was thinking ... this might be silly ... but it's not going to be huge, is it? We don't have hundreds of people to invite, and those we will invite all know about the timelady slash immortal Jack thing, right? "

" Go on," Jack said slowly, " I think I like the way this is going ... "

" Yeah," Lily nodded, " so I was thinking, maybe we could take everyone into the TARDIS and get married in another country ... or even, another time. I just think that'd give us so much opportunity. And it's much more like us, isn't it? "

" You want to know something? " grinned Jack, " that, is a very brilliant idea. Ring your dad and ask him - maybe he'll even have some suggesions on where to go. "

" I suppose I'm going to have to start planning this wedding then," Lily said, as Jack played with her hands again, " god knows it won't do itself, but ... I don't know where to start! There's a venue - the time period and the country, even - to pick, guests to invite, flowers, clothes, food ... oh, I don't know! "

" Ok, breathe," Jack said calmly, " you can't get stressed out when you've only just started to think about it. I'll help as much as I can, but isn't is usually a ... woman thing? "

Lily shrugged, " I suppose. Oh, I do want to plan it, and I want it all to be perfect, but I ... "

" Ok," Jack said, " you should pick some people to help you organise it. Like bridesmaids, or a maid of honour, or something, you know? Hey, are you going to have bridesmaids? "

Lily shrugged, " I thought I might have _one_. There's only really one person I could ask - unless Owen wants to be one, which I can't quite see. Are _you _going to have a best man? "

" Ooh, I don't know," Jack shrugged, " I wouldn't know who to choose. I'm assuming your dad will be giving you away? "

" I ... I hadn't thought about it," Lily said, as it suddenly dawned on her, " but yeah. Yeah, I suppose he will. "

" Then who else _is _there? " Jack shrugged, " Ianto and Owen have both worked here years, and both been my friends, but I don't know who to choose. I was thinking Owen, because he's been here longer, and he's closer to you - that guy's actually some sort of friend to you. I didn't think Owen really did friendship, but he really likes you. But then Ianto's a great guy and ... oh, I don't know. "

" I'm sure you'll figure it out, kitten. Although I was thinking, I might need Ianto," Lily said, touching his cheek gently, before laying both of her hands on his chest and pushing back on him a little. He didn't move much, as she wasn't really trying to push hard, but he knew she wanted him to move, so he did.

He stepped back, somewhat reluctantly, and left room for her to slide off the desk, " What would you possibly need Ianto for? " he asked as she started to walk away.

" Nothing to do with you," Lily told him, shaking her head at him with a little smile, " I'll sort this wedding out - that what's brides do. Don't grooms and best men just ... sort of stay out of the way and turn up on the wedding day. "

" Where are you going? " he asked, sounding quite cute, she thought.

She turned back to face him with a grin," I'm going to find someone to help me organise my wedding. I want everything to be perfect, after all. " She threw a little wink at him, " see you in a bit," she said, before walking away.

She headed straight to kitchen, where she knew Ianto was making coffee.

She grinned and leant back against the door with her arms folded over her chest, in a move that very much reminded Ianto of Jack - he wondered if the pair of them hadn't spend that much time together, that sometimes they finished each others sentences and shared each others mannerisms.

" Everything getting a bit too much for you out there? " Ianto asked her with a raised eyebrow, as he watched Jack walk back to his office, through the window, " is Jack doing something stupid? Oh, it's not Owen again, is it? "

" No, everything's fine," Lily shrugged, a serene smile on her face, though it wasn't out of place, since no-one had seen anything other than the perfect smile on her face since she got engaged.

Ianto frowned at her when she didn't elaborate, " So, can I help you with something, or ...? "

" Yeah, I suppose you can," Lily said, as Ianto stood up and started tidying the kitchen up a bit while Lily watched him. After a pause, she continued, " see, Jack and I have been thinking about the wedding. We want to get married and we want - or I certainly want - everything to be perfect, but ... I don't know where to start. I can chase aliens, and sort out UNIT, but planning something like a wedding is ... not my strong point. "

" D'you want me to get you the number of a wedding planner? " Ianto asked.

" I want _you _to help me plan the wedding," Lily said, making Ianto stop in his tracks.

" Me? " he said, looking at her in confusion.

Lily nodded, " Yeah - I need someone organised, but I need someone who I like and trust. Someone who knows me and Jack well, and actually cares about us. I was going to ask Tosh too - I wanted her to be my maid of honour, but if you don't want to, I'll understand. I know it's a lot of work to take on, and it's probably a bit of a girly thing. It's your call. "

" Lily," Ianto said quietly, touched that she'd asked him - it seemed that they were becoming better friends all the time, " I'd be honoured to help you plan your big day. "

" You - you would? " Lily asked with a grin.

Ianto nodded, " Course I would. If I let you do it on your own, the pair of you would end up getting married in a dump. Or something. The least I can do is help you out. "

Lily gave a little squeal of excitement and ran at him.

She hugged him with such enthusiasm, that she jumped up a little and her legs were around his waist. He laughed, although he was suprised, being a lot more reserved than she was. He hugged her back, quickly grabbing her to support her.

She gushed her thanks and made him several promises including, " Thank you so much, I owe you one. Anything you want," and , " Thank you! I love you! I'm going to get Jack to promote you! "

Ianto laughed and told her it was no trouble.

Meanwhile, out of the window, in the main hub, Owen and Gwen were watching the pair of them through the window.

Owen raised his eyebrows when Lily launched herself at Ianto, an Gwen frowned, " What d'you think that's all about? " she aksed curiously, spinning her ring around her finger absently.

" I don't know, but it looks like the Captain's got competition," Owen shrugged.

" Oh, don't be stupid," Gwen scoffed, shaking her head at him.

" What? " Owen demanded defensively, " you look over there and tell me Lily's not shagging the Teaboy. Go on - can't do it, can you? "

" Owen," Gwen sighed, shaking her head, as they watched Ianto set Lily down on her feet, " they're obviously celebrating something! "

The next thing they knew, Lily had yanked open the kitchen door and shouted for Tosh to join them.

When Tosh joined them, she looked between the pair of them in anticipation, waiting for one of them to say something. Lily looked at Ianto, who was smiling - proud to have been chosen - and then back at Tosh.

" I've asked Ianto to help me plan my wedding," she told Tosh with a grin.

Tosh nodded, " Oh," she said, " um ... well done, Ianto. Was ... was that all? " she asked Lily, looked quite confused and feeling even more so.

" Ah, wait for it," Lily said, holding up one finger. When Tosh nodded with a smile, Lily continued, " you've been such a good friend to me since I got here, and I want you to be my maid of honour - bridesmaid, whatever you want to call it. "

Tosh let out a little gasp and asked, " Really? "

" Oh yes," Lily grinned.

Tosh grinned, " I'd be delighted to," she replied.

Lily laughed and hugged her, and then grabbed Ianto, pulling him into the hug.

" Thank you both, so much," Lily grinned, hugging Tosh again and getting up on her toes to kiss Ianto's cheek. Ianto blushed, and an estatic Lily ran out of the kitchen and threw open Jack's office door without knocking - though she never did.

" Hey baby," Jack said without even looking up from his computer.

" How d'you know it was me? " Lily asked, pushing the door shut behind her and bounding forwards happily.

" Heard you coming," Jack told her, looking up, " no-one else comes running into my office with such enthusiasm. " He saw her grin and knew she was excited about something. He pushed back in his chair and grinned at her, loving her happiness for everything, " Are you going to tell me what's got you in such a good modd? "

" I'm always in a good mood," Lily said, " I think it all started with the thought of you becoming my husband. "

Jack smiled and stretched out one hand with an irresistable smirk. Lily took the hint and walked over to him, slipping her hand in his. Jack pulled her to him with one slick motion, and pulled her into his lap, wrapping one arm around her waist.

She settled into his lap, and Jack kissed her cheek gently, making her smile

" I asked Tosh to be my bridesmaid, and she said yes," Lily grinned.

" Really? That's brilliant," Jack replied, playing with a lock of her hair.

" And," she added, " I asked Ianto to help me organise the wedding. "

" You did what? " Jack asked in suprise, " you asked Ianto? "

" Well you were the one who said I should get help," Lily pointed out, " and I don't know anyone as organised as Ianto. And he's our friend. I need someone to help me, Jack, and I can't think of a anyone better. "

" Oh," Jack said, " I just thought it was a bit of a girly thing. "

" Sexism," Lily said, slapping his arm, " so you can't have Ianto as your best man. " A thought occured to her and she sighed, " oh, you're not mad, are you? I forgot you were considering he and Owen as your best man. You didn't want him did you? I can find someone else to help me organise the wedding if you want. "

" Lily, calm it," Jack said slowly, shaking his head at her, " I will ask Owen to be my best man. I've known him longer, he's your friend too, I think he'd be honoured. Not that he'll show it, knowing him. I'll ask him in a few days, maybe. Now ... go do some work. Or pretend to do work while daydreaming about the weding, because I know that's what I've been doing. "

" You're so sweet," Lily said, touching his cheek with one hand as she kissed him.

Jack moaned in satisfaction, and Lily smiled, moving up off his lap.

" Ianto's ordering in lunch. Pizza, I think. You coming? " she asked with a smile.

Jack grinned, " Of course I am," he said, standing up and following her to the door. Lily smiled and reached up to lay a hand on his cheek. She looked into his eyes and lightly moved her thumb over his cheek, caressing his skin gently. She knew he loved the little gestures like that, and he gently took her hand from his face, and kissed the back of it, his eyes on the gorgeous ring that sat on her fourth finger.

" Come on, future wife," he said with a grin, " food time. "

Lily rolled her eyes and led him out of the office. They went through to the kitchen, where Owen, Gwen and Tosh were sat. Jack sat down at the head of the table, while Lily took a seat beside Tosh.

They all chatted away idly, and it wasn't long before Ianto joined them with several boxes of pizza - his girlfriend worked at the pizza place they ordered from and often delivered the pizzas, but she thought it was a tourist office with an extra section downstairs - Ianto had had to tell her there was an extra part downstairs with other staff because she wondered why they ordered so many pizza.

While they were all eating and messing around, Ianto looked around at everyone and said, " You know, I was thinking we could go out somewhere tonight. "

" What, all of us? " Owen asked, not looking very impressed at the idea.

" Yes," Ianto said, " it's just, there's this thing I've been wanting to check out for a while. Nice trip to the cinema, I was thinking. "

" I can't," Tosh said with a frown, " my aunt's coming to stay with me tonight. She was with my cousins this week and she'll stay with me before flying home tomorrow. "

" I'm in," Gwen shrugged, " Rhys is going out with Banana and the lads tonight, anyway. "

" Lily? " Ianto asked, " you'll come, won't you? "

" Ah, you know me," Lily nodded, " I'll be there. Owen, you've got to come with us," she told him, " I absolutely insist. " At Owen's pull of the face, she added, " that's an order. Jack? "

Jack shrugged, " I don't know," he said, " someone's got to stay and look after the hub. "

" Screw the hub," Lily said, " who do you think looks after it at night when we're off with my dad? Come _on, _Jack," she said, sticking the bottom lip out a little,.

" No," he said reluctantly, after a pause, " I'm sorry, baby. I've actually got a stack of work and emails and admin to do. I should probably take advantage of everyone being out. I could do without a very pretty distraction around," he added, to satisfy Lily's pleading look.

" Fine," Lily said, a wicked grin suddenly crossing her face, " but don't blame me if I get caught up in the romantic nature - the dark cinema, popcorn, arms around the back of the chair - and start cosying up to Owen. "

Owen, who was sitting beside her, grinned lazily and stretched out one arm and draped it across her shoulders. Lily smirked and shuffled closer, playing along to annoy Jack, and Jack threw Owen a stern look.

" You just remember who handles your paycheck," Jack warned him.

Owen sighed and dropped his arm, shrugging at Lily, " Sorry, sweetheart," he said, " you might be a serious piece of eye candy, but he's got a point. "

Lily sighed, " You just wait until I die and regenerate," she said with a shrug, " cos I'm going to be prettier than this, and you're just not going to be able to stay away. "

" Lily," Jack said sharply, " you're not going to die any time soon. You can't talk like that. "

" It's not like I'd die," Lily shrugged.

" Lily! " Jack said - it was his greatest fear that he'd lose Lily, and he hated the fact that she could sometimes be so blase about it - he didn't think she realised how serious it could be if she had to regenerate and become an entirely different person, " death is a serious matter. "

" Says the man who can't die," Owen scoffed, " talking to the woman who can change her face if she's going to die, and the man who's already become one of the living dead. "

Jack sighed, and the conversation moved away.

By the end of the day, they were all ready to leave work, and Tosh had already gone, while Ianto, Gwen and Owen waited by the cog door for Lily, who was stood at her desk with Jack.

" Have a good time," Jack said, pushing some of Lily's hair behind her ear.

Lily sighed and her hands were on his braces. She tugged on them slightly and gave him her best smile, " Sure I can't tempt you to come? "

" I'd love to, baby, but I should really catch up on a few things. You go, you have fun," he told her, leaning in and kissing her cheek. She smiled and laid her hand on his cheek as she kissed his lips gently.

" See you later," she said, turning on her heel.

" Hey Ianto! " Jack shouted, as Lily joined Ianto, Gwen and Owen, ready to leave. Ianto looked over to Jack and Jack added, " you look after her for me. "

" I don't need looking after all the time," Lily called to Jack, " I can look after myself just fine. "

" I know," Jack replied, " but still ... Ianto? "

" Done," Ianto nodded.

The four of them took a taxi to the road Ianot told them the cinema was on, and ocne they got out of the car, they found out that it was raining very heavily. They hurried down the street only to find that Ianto had gotten the street wrong, and it was actually a ten minute walk.

None of them had umbrella's, and were holding their jackets over their heads,

" Nice trip to the cinema you said! " Owen told Ianto accusingly.

" Yeah, that's right," Ianto nodded calmly.

" But there's nothing here," Owen pointed out.

" Come on," Lily said, nudging Owen's elbow, " have a little bit of faith. "

" Here we are," Ianto said, pointing towards one of the buildings. Suddenly, bright lights came on, and it was a warm, beckoning building that looked very inviting, " it's not just a cinema - it's the Electro. "

Lily grinned when she saw the building, and they all hurried inside. In the lobby were multiple displays and Ianto stopped in front of one of an old film projector.

" I love this place," he said enthusiastically, " I used to come here with my dad. They played kid's films on Saturday mornings. "

Gwen smiled, " So where's the popcorn and ice cream? "

" I think you've missed out," Owen muttered to her, " it looks like more of an educational thing. "

They went into the theatre, and sat down on plush red seats. Lily took a seat between Owen and Ianto and looked towards the state - there was a large red curtain and a pianist off to one side, playing old style music.

A man and woman came onto the stage and both gave a very theatrical bow, before the man said, " As proud owners of the Electro museum, it is our privilege to be able to how you how the cinema and Hope Street looked in its days gone by. And who knows, if you watch carefuuly, you might well see long-dead members of your family waiting in the cinema queue. "

Gwen chuckled a little and Lily smirked at the thought of seeing her dad in the queue.

The lights dimmed down, and the piano accompaniment started, as the curtain opened.

Lily found herself feeling more interested in the film than she had expected, and watched as the film started. Images of a cirsus started, with acrobats and jugglers, and Lily heard Owen and Gwen giggling to themselves, though she and Ianto were watching carefully.

Fire eaters, a bearded woman, a strange looking man who beckoned to the audience, and then acrobats, jugglers, fire eaters, a bearded woman.

" It's the same images," Gwen moaned, as the same images came around for the fourth time.

Owen sighed and made to stand up, but Lily's attention was caught by sudden new footage on the screen, and she watched the screen while Owen and Gwen got ready to leave.

Lily saw a quick flash of a fire walker, and then she saw him. There was an image of Jack - her Jack! - holding the barrel of a gun to his temple, and then under his chin, before the image disappeared so quickly she wondered if she'd seen it at all.

" Wait! " she called to the others, staring at the screen.

" What? Did you see it too? " Ianto asked, looking from the screen, to Lily, back to the screen.

Lily nodded, and pointing at the screen, told Owen and Gwen, " I just saw Jack. "

" Me too," Ianto nodded.

" Where? " Gwen asked

.

" In the film! " Lily replied, jabbing her finger in that direction and getting to her feet, while gwen and Owen sat back down. They watched the film repeat, but didn't see Jack.

" What are you talking about? " Owen asked skeptically, looking sideways at Lily.

" I saw him," she insisted, " just ... wait ... "

" Alright alien girl," Owen scoffed, and the film went suddenly black - obviously broken. He an Gwen were ready to leave, but Lily and Ianto lingered, trying to figure out what they'd seen - surely it couldn't have been Jack, but surely they couldn't have both imagined it.

Ianto was the next out, though he was hesitant, and as Lily was about to leave, she caught something from the corner of her eye, and turned in time to see and feel two dark shadows flash past her.

She frowned and moved out of the room. Once they were in the lobby, she found Ianto trying to explain things to Owen and Gwen, and she sighed, pulling out her mobile phone.

" Hold on," she said, " something's going on here - it's not just Jack in a film. Something ... move past me. I'll get him to come down here. "

She held the phone to her ear and Jack answered his office phone after a few rings,

" Hello? " he barked, like he had no time to answer the phone.

" Jack, it's me," Lily said.

" Oh," he replied, seeming to relax at once, " everything alright? "

Lily sighed, " Sort of. Well, no, not really. Do have a minute? "

" I have lots of minutes for you," Jack said, " Tosh has come back into work for a few hours - turned out her aunt decided to spend an extra night with her cousin, so Tosh came back to do a bit of work for me. What's going on? "

" Will you come down here please? " Lily asked.

Jack was alert at once and sat up straight. " Lily? " he asked sharply, " are you alright? "

" I'm fine, don't worry about me," Lily said quickly, to calm him, " but I was hoping you could come to the Electro - something's going on, and I'd rather you were here so we can tell you. "

" Don't worry about it," Jack said, " I'll be there right away. Love you. Bye. "

" Mmmm'kay," Lily nodded, " love you. Bye. "

She closed her phone and told the others, " I've got a really weird feeling about this - Jack needs to know about it. "

They sat down together on a little bench, or rather, Owen Gwen and Ianto did, and Lily paced up and down in front of them, trying to think about what was going on. She considered getting the film from the owners and checking it out, and tried to rack her brains to think about what the dark shadows could have been.

When Jack hurried across the lobby of the Electro towards them, he frowned at Lily's walking up and down and obvious worry.

" Hey, hey, hey," he said when he saw her, making her look up as she hadn't even noticed him. She smiled in relief, and Jack pulled her into a hug,

" Calm down," he said, " I'm sure there's no need to be so worried. " He kissed the top of her head and when they broke apart, he kept a tight hold of her hand.

" What's going on? " he asked, looking around at everyone.

" It was really weird," Lily started, " we were watching the film - which was cut short, but the way, because the film stopped working - and when we were leaving, some sort of shadows went past me. "

" Shadows? " Jack echoed, " like what? "

" I don't know exactly," Lily said, " but I definitley know it wasn't human. There was something odd about it. I just ... I just ort of sensed it, you know? "

" And there's something else," added Ianto, catching Jack's attention, " you were up there, on the screen, large as life. "

" What was I doing? " Jack asked.

" You were on the stage," Lily said, looking up at him, " outside a big tent. Like some sort of travelling show. " Her voice grew quieter, and she added, " you never said you were part of a circus. "

Jack chuckled wryly, " It wasn't always the best of times. I heard it earlier, you know. I was in the office, just heard a snatch of it. "

" The film was beautiful," Ianto said, though Owen and Gwen didn't seem to agree, " all those acts performing for us, part of history, trapped on film forever. "

" Their days were numbered," Jack said, brushing his thumb lightly over Lily's hand, as he could feel that she was suprised he'd never mentoined being in he circus, " cinemas have saved their images, but if finished off travelling shows. Killed them. "

He turned on his heel and started off towards the main desk, forgetting that he had hold o Lily's hand, and forcing her to walk on after him. He flashed his ID badge and asked for access to the projection room, which he was immediately granted.

He took Lily with him, while the others waited for them in the lobby.

" So you say the projecter went haywire? " Jack asked the man in the projection room, who was the son of the Electro's owner, named Jonathan.

" Yeah," Jonathan replied, " even with the main switch on , it still kept runningplaying those film clips. It's like it had a mind of it's own. "

Jack flicked the projector on,and film ran. He turned it off, the film stopped.

" It's working now," he pointed out.

" I know," Jonathan said.

" Where did you get these? " Lily asked, pointing a finger at the film cannisters.

" From the basement," Jonathan replied, " there were stacks of cans. See, I've been compiling footage of Hope Street and the Electro for opening night, but those circus clips weren't on it, I swear. "

" So it wasn't meant to be shown? " Lily asked.

" No, and that's what's scary," Jonathan said, " I mean, it kind of played itself. It's like it wanted to be seen. "

" Like something tried to get through? " asked Jack carefully.

" Yeah," Jonathan said, " and there was a sound, like ... old fashioned music? Like an organ?And there was a face looking at me. And there was a smell of bromide or Iodine. "

" Like the film it's self," pointed out Lily with a little nod.

" And is this the film? " Jack asked, indicating the film currently in the projector. Jonathan said it was, and Jack was removing it when his comms beeped.

He pressed them and listened to something that was said, before replying, " Where? Ok, we'll get there. Tell the police we're dealing with it. " He touched his comms again and then smiled briefly at Jonathan, " thanks for your time," he said.

" Where are we going? " Lily asked as they walked away from the projection room.

Jack, who had been hurrying down the stairs ahead of her, stopped in his tracks and turned around with an apologetic smile. He took hold of her hand and told her, " Tosh says there was a peak in rift activity here, and she heard the organ music too, but she hasn't traced it yet. She's picked up some very unusual traces on Chain Lane. We need to get there. "

They met the others downstairs and got into the SUV, ready to go.

Jack drove as fast as possible, as always, and they were on the street they needed to be on in no time. They all got out of the SUV and saw a figure laying in the street, by the bus stop.

Lily rushed over and knelt by the woman's side and turned her over so she could see her face. She gasped in horror, just as Owen knelt beside them, and his eyes widened in shock.

She looked very dehyrated, with crackled, crinkly skin around her mouth and wide unseeing eyes.

Owen checked her pulse and frowned, " She's got a heartbeat but she isn't breathing. Shouldn't really be alive. And look at her mouth - she's got no saliva. Lips dry as a bone. Needs to go to hospital. "

" Agreed," Jack said, as Lily leant over the woman and looked for any other signs, but other than her face, and her lack of breathing, she had no physical signs of injury.

" Come on," she said after a pause, standing up, " Owen, Jack, get her in the SUV. We need to take her in - I ... I don't know that they'll be able to do anything, but we have to take her. "

They did just that, and once at the hospital, told them they were from special ops division of the police and had found the wounded woman in the street.

Owen, Lily and Jack were stood in the room with the young woman, who'd been identified as Nettiew, while Ianto and Gwen were in the hall, talking to some of the parademics.

Nettie's eyes were wide open and she was hooked up to several machines, but there was no response from her.

" Her parents are outside," Lily said, frowning at what had happened to the young woman, " apparently, she was on her way to visit her friend. "

" Any witnesses come forward? " Jack asked.

" I don't think so," Lily said quietly, looking at Nettie with a sad look on her face, hoping they'd find something they could do.

" What have the doctors said? " asked Jack, looking at Owen.

" No change in her condition," Owen said grimly, " they're treating it as a coma. No motor response - no nothing. "

" But they're wrong," Lily added. She and Owen had stayed in the room while the nurses and doctors checked Nettie over, but Jack had only just come in and needed filling in. Lily had to admit that she liked times she was able to use her brain.

" How so? " Jack asked.

Lily sighed and looked at Nettie - she only looked fourteen or fifteen, and Lily felt quite a motherly feeling towards her - things that involved children were always the most terrifying, and the more time she spent on Earth, the more time she spent looking after a team of people - Tosh, Owen, Ianto and Gwen, and she knew she always looked out for them because that was just what she did. And the more time she spent looking after people, the more she wanted to look after everyone she possibly could.

" There's signs of cerebal dsyfunctions, no symptoms of hypoxia, and her body's dehydrated. You know like when a spider sucks the liquid out of its victims? It's like that, except they've left her partly alive. She couldn't cry even if she wanted to. She's got no tears. " She sighed, " poor kid. "

The door burst open, and Ianto entered, in front of another bed, being rolled into the room.

" There's been another one," Ianto said, indicating a middle aged woman lying in the bed.

" Who's she? " Jack asked, as Owen helped a young nurse roll the woman onto a bed.

" We don't know," said the nurse, " the paramedics found her. It freaked them out. She was lying in an doorway just looking like this. "

" Where was this? " Lily asked, as Jack edged closer to the woman.

" Corner of Hope Street," the nurse supplied.

Jack moved to the woman and bent over her, putting his face close to her mouth and nose, looking for breath. " The same," Jack said, looking around at Lily, " heartbeat but no breath. And her mouth's been drained of moisture. "

They left the room, leaving the nurse with the two patients, and walked down the corridors as they thought about what was going on.

" It just doesn't make any sense," Owen said as they met Gwen in the corridor, " they're almost dehydrated and possibly brain-dead, and yet somehow, they're still with us. "

" So, some part of them has been taken elsewhere? " Jack asked.

" That's impossible," said Owen as they walked down another corridor, and carried on talking.

" You know what you need to start remembering? " Lily asked Owen, looking at him carefully. He looked back at her, and she added, " nothing's impossible. All those aliens and everything we see. Yeah, well you _know _there's loads more out there. More than we could ever imagine. "

" Like what? " Gwen asked quietly.

" For the body to be alive, there must be a life force somewhere," Jack said, " yet they've seperated it, and stolen it. "

" Who has the power to do that? " Ianto asked.

" I don't know," Jack started, " but we need - "

" To find out fast," Lily finished for him, " with wo people chosen at random, anything could happen next. Whoever's doing it has the whole world to choose from. "

This was a grim thought, and they all went back to the hub in thought, not really speaking much. It was only once they were walking down the corridors towards the inner hub, when Lily tore her mind from the poor victims and brought it back to the film.

" Maybe you should tell us some more about the circus," she said, catching Jack's attention, as everyone had been silent up until now, " there's clearly something odd going on, I and I know I felt something off in the Electro. I know they're linked, and we need to know everything you know. "

" Right," Jack nodded, as the others were perfectly happy for Lily to take the lead, as she did it so well.

" But are you sure you even saw Jack on that film? " Owen asked, " because we didn't see him. "

Jack pulled a cannister out of his pocket and held it up as they all headed towards his office, " It just so happens that I took the film from the Electro. We'll watch it. Ianto, can you find me a projector? I know we have one somewhere. "

Ianto nodded and headed off, while the others all went into Jack's office.

Once they projector had been brought into the office and was set up, everyone watched the film on the projection screen carefully. The silent film was the same one they'd seen before and they all watched it closely.

Two clowns appeared on the screen, and Jack chuckled. " I knew them," he said, " argued day and night, they did. "

Lily stared at him while the others watched the screen - she found it odd that he'd never mentioned it before, but turned her attention back to the screen when Owen said,

" Jack! That _is _you. "

Tosh rewound the image, and they all watched as the man on the screen who looked like, and was, Jack, pointed a gun at his own temple.

" Well, now I've seen everything," Owen said, shaking his head.

" Told you so," Lily nodded.

" You did stand-up? " Gwen asked, though Lily rolled her eyes, because she couldn't imagine Jack doing stand up, even if he did always have the ability to make her laugh.

" I never did stand up," Jack said.

" Alright then," Gwen continued, " then, a song and a dance? "

" I don't believe this," Tosh said, " what were you doing there? "

" Isn't it obvious? " Owen asked, gesturing at the screen, " he was part of the freak show. "

The film continued to play, and a strange looking circus group that Lily hadn't noticed before were stood waving to the camera. Jack's face suddenly darkened, and he said, " The Night Travellers. "

" The what? " Tosh asked, while Lily perked up at the name.

" I thought they were just a story," Lily said, " I've read about them in books, but I never thought they were real. "

" Me neither," Jack said.

" Did you work with these people? " Tosh asked.

" No," Jack said, " I didn't work with them. I never knew anyone who did. It was always just a story - people who performed in the dead of the night. A tale that went around - a ghost story. "

" "They came from out of the rain" " Lily said thoughtfully, " that's how people described them, isn't it? "

Jack swept across the office and walked out of the room. Lily was slightly suprised but followed him out and watched as he paced up and down, thinking to himself. Owen and Gwen followed too.

" What did these Night Travellers do? " Owen asked, looking from Jack to Lily. Lily racked her brains, and although she knew a little about them from things she'd read, she didn't know a great deal.

" Left a trail of damage and sorrow wherever they performed," Jack answered, narrowing his eyes, " a long time ago now, though. 80 odd years ago, I suppose. The travelling shows faded away because people stopped coming to watch them - they were forgotten. Until all we have to remember them by are old film clips. "

" Jack! "

On Ianto's shout of his name, Jack went back into his office, where Ianto and Tosh had been watching the film again, and told them that this wasn't exactly the same film - at least, it was the same film cannister, but, two of the people who'd been there before weren't there now.

The young woman, and the Ghostmaker - the M.C.

They came to the conclusion that when the film was played, the two figures escaped. Jack set Owen and Gwen to work finding out the chaos caused by Night Travellers in the past, Tosh checking for sightings, and Ianto using his local knowledge.

Once everyone was getting to work, Lily stayed with Jack in his office while they started researching as much as they could.

" Night Travellers," Lily sighed, looking through a file that Ianto had pulled for her, " funny, isn't it, the things you always think were a myth, that turn out to be real? Can you imagine what sort of creatures, who've been dead for years, just come to life from film? "

Jack looked at her, and in the dark of the night, with the serious case around them, everything felt like it was taking a turn for the worse, with such a terrible case to work on.

Jack was sat behind his desk and Lily on the other side, both of them poured over paperwork.

" No-one ever knew the Night Travellers were coming, you know," he said, almost conversationally, "they'd just appear from no-where. Not like the team I was with - they'd sent out flyers, bang drums, blow whistles. Ours was a smal company. Working the UK. Trying to find paying customers. I was sent to investigate rumours of the night travellers. "

" You ... you were? " Lily asked, " but ... you said you thought they were a story. "

" And I did," Jack nodded, " I never found a real trace of Night Travellers, so I assumed they didn't exist. It was before I joined Torchwood - it's a long story, but I joined the travelling company. "

" Oh," Lily said, not looking at him. She wanted to ask the obvious, but couldn't bring herself to find the words.

Jack looked at her for a few moments, and waited for her to ask, like he knew she was going to. When she didn't, and noticed him looking at her, she looked back at him.

" You want to know what I did, don't you? " Jack asked, his hand edging towards hers over the desk, until his hand was on top of hers, " in the circus? "

Lily shook her head, " I saw the film Jack. You had a gun to your temple. I think I can guess what you did. "

" Yeah," he nodded, " I was billed as "The Man Who Couldn't Die. " "

The harsh tone of his voice made her wince, and she shook her head, " I'm sorry," she whispered, " that must have been ... I can't imagine it. You ... you killed yourself over and over again for people's amusement. "

" Yeah," Jack nodded, leaning his head back and closing his eyes tightly, " that's about it. "

Lily frowned and stood up slowly and quietly, moving around his desk. She stood behind him and put her hands on his shoulders gently, rubbing gently.

" Poor kitten," she murmured.

" It was a long time ago," Jack said, eyes still closed. " You get over these things. "

" You shouldn't have had to go through it at all," Lily said softly, rubbing at his shoulders because she felt like he'd been through terrible things, and he deserved someone who cared about him and adored him. She felt sorry for him, and she kissed the top of his head.

" Like I said, I'm over it," Jack said in a quiet voice.

" Good," Lily said, " but you could have told me before, you know. You don't have to keep things from me. "

" I know," Jack said, " I wasn't keeping it from you, but there was nothing to gain by telling you. It would only worry you. Who wants to know that their boyfriend used to blow his own brains out several times a week to entertain people? "

" Poor Jack," Lily sighed.

Jack spun around in his chair to face her, and she smiled slightly, reaching out and laying one hand on his cheek gently. She leaned in and kissed his lips softly.

" Don't worry about me," Jack said when they broke apart, " it's my job to look after you and keep you happy, but it's your job to let me. "

" No," Lily said, coming to sit opposite him again, " it's my job to look after you too, even if you don't like to admit that you ever need any looking after. "

Jack smiled and gave her a little wink.

Not long after, Ianto came into the office, giving Jack a list of old Cardiff cinemas, and telling him which were still in actions - only one besides the Electro. They came to the conclusion that the night travellers may have performed there at one point, and had now escaped from the film to get revenge for the travelling shows dying out. They were now looking for a new audience.

The office door opened and Owen stuck his head around it, " Do you wanna come and look at this? " he asked Jack, " Tosh has found something ... a bit weird. " Glancing at Lily, he added, " you might wanna see this, Sweetheart. "

" Sure thing," Jack replied, standing up, " although I'd rather you didn't call me sweetheart in front of my girlfriend. You'll be giving her the wrong idea. "

Owen rolled his eyes, and once everyone was gathered around Tosh's workstation, Tosh announced, " I was picking up the sea. "

" In the middle of the town," Gwen added.

" But it's gone now," Tosh added, pressing a few buttons and clicking a few things. Her computer was retreieving data, and she added, " I was getting the sound of waves. And seagulls. " The computer failed as 72%, and Tosh sighed, " I could almost smell the ozone. "

" No other sightings? " Jack asked.

" No. "

" What the hell are they doing? " Jack asked, looking at Lily for inspiration.

She shrugged, " I'm out of ideas," she said, biting her lip and trying to think of a few things that could be causing this. She sighed and said, " Right. How about we go back to the hospital and see if there's any changes? Any more people admitted. Jack, you, me and ... let's see ... Ianto ... can go. Ianto? " she added, completely taking control.

Ianto nodded, " Yeah. Let's go. "

Lily nodded and the three of them started out of the hub. Once they got to the hospital, Lily flashed the psychic paper and claimed to be from specials ops, asking to speak to anyone who knew about the case relating to Nettie Williams' condition.

A senior nurse came to speak to them, and she led them to a small side room, in which two children were hooked up to monitors, in the same state the as two people from earlier.

" Found in a car with their parents, near Hope Street," the Nurse said.

Lily winced as she looked at the children and Jack gently laid his hand in the small of her back, as they all stopped to contemplate it. " Where are the parents? " Jack asked, " what happened to them? "

" They're in the same cataleptic state," the Nurse replied, going to check on the little girl.

" They came from out of the rain," Jack murmured to lily and Ianto, looking from one to the other.

" What did you say? " asked the Nurse, a little startled.

" Nothing," Jack said, shaking his head, " why? "

The Nurse simply looked at him with a little smile, " Those words "From Out of the Rain." I'm sure I've heard them before ... Oh, I remember. It was Christina. She was a patient at Providence Park. It's a psychiactric hospital. "

" I know it," Ianto nodded.

" I used to work there," the Nurse said, " she was a full-time patient, been there since she was a child. She was a strange one. Whenever anything, any kind of entertainment show was laid on, she became scared. She'd hide. "

" Did she say why? " Lily asked sharply.

" Yes," the Nurse nodded, " she said they were coming to steal her last breath. Poor love. "

As the Nurse turned away, Jack, Ianto and Lily shared a look and they all knew where they needed to go next. Before long, they were in the psychiatric hospital, sitting around with an elderly woman in a wheelchair - Christina.

" What do you know about the Night Travellers? " Jack asked, sitting down opposite her.

" They came from out of the rain," Christina told them, " at night. Came to the village. "

" How old where you at the time? " Ianto asked gently.

" Oh just a child," Christina said, as Jack, Lily and Ianto listened intently, " five I think, or six. Are you visiting someone? "

" We're here to see you," Jack told her, as Lily and Ianto sat down opposite her too.

" No-one comes to see me," Christina chuckled. She reached out and touched his hand, her smile fading as she looked into his eyes, " your eyes are older than your face," she said, frowning a little.

" Is that a bad thing? " Jack asked with his most charming grin.

" Yes," Christina said, turning her attention to Lily, " your eyes are even older than his, but your face is even younger. It means you're from nowhere. "

" Please, Christina," Lily said quietly, " tell us about them. The people who came from out of the rain. "

" There was music," she said, the words gushing out once she started, " hurdy-gurdy music, acrobats, and a man with fire in his hands. There was a man in dark clothes, and a beautiful young woman in a silvery costume - she seemed to glisten. " Suddenly here eyes went wide and she grasped Lily's hand, " they touched you. I can sense it. They touched you as they passed you by. "

Lily swallowed hard and whispered, " Tell us about the man, Christina. "

" Oh," Christina nodded, " he, uh, he spoke to me. He asked if I would like to join the travelling show. He took a kind of flask out of his pocket. It was polished like silver. I asked him his name. Oh, I shall never forget it, I won't. He said he was called the Ghostmaker. He wanted to ... take my breath and put it in his flask. He said I could travel with his circus, I would be in his audience forever. I turned and ran away as fast as I could. People went missing from the village that night. My mother ... my father ... gone. "

Lily couldn't bring herself to even smile comfortingly, and it was Jack who thanked Christina and put an arm around Lily's waist as they walked back to the SUV, and a hand on Ianto's back. He was trying to comfort them both because he knew how difficult it was for them.

" We'll sort this out," Jack told her, getting behind the driver's seat, " I promise. "

They were silent most of the way back to the hub, and once they entered, they gathered the others around and had a team meeting. Lily reported the new finding to Tosh, Gwen and Owen, before Owen and Gwen shared their findings.

" Here we go," Gwen said, pulling an old news article up on the monitor. The headline was dated in the year 1901, and the headline read "Number of Missing Rises to Eight."

Gwen said, " People went missing when a travelling show visited town. And there was one earlier on, in 1898. A small village named Westfield. These disappearences ... there's a lot of old wives' tales attached to them. People still alive but deprived of breath, children being told to hold their breath while the travelling show passed by. "

Owen read aloud from a new article, " Police and Doctors were amused and baffled when Mr Alfred mace insisted his dead wife could be brought back to life, providing a certain flask could be found. "

" He reckoned his wife's last breath had been taken and put in a flask," Gwen added.

" A silver flask," Jack muttered.

" And the breath of each victim," Lily said, standing up, " is in that flask. If we find the flask, we can save them. "

The office phone rang, and could be heard from the conference room they were in. Lily glanced at Jack, and he quickly hurried out of the room. When he returned, he was a grim face, " It was Jonathan," he said, " the son of the Electro's owners. Says they're at his house. We need to go. "

" Who's going? " Lily asked him.

He pulled a face, " If I go, do you mind staying here and - "

" Just go," Lily said, pointing at the cog door, " no time for talking. God knows what's happening to that poor boy. "

Without hesitation, Jack hurried off with Ianto, leaving Lily in charge of Tosh, Gwen and Owen.

The four in the hub continued their research until Lily's comms beeped. She touched her ear and answered, " Yeah? "

" It's me," Jack said, " take Gwen and Owen and meet us at the Electro. Jonathan's fine, but the woman and the Ghostmaker were in his house, I'm sure of it. "

" We're on our way," Lily said, grabbing her trenchcoat and beckoning Gwen and Owen with her index finger. As Jack thanked her, she shouted at the others, " Tosh, you need to stay here. Owen, Gwen, we need to get to the Electro and we need to hurry. Jack's taken the SUV so we'll need your car Owen. "

Owen got out the keys as they hurried down the corridors, and Lily took them from his hand.

" Hey! " he protested.

" We need to get there fast," Lily repeated - Lily was always the one who drove faster than everyone else (even Owen) except Jack.

Owen shrugged, but they were in the Electro within minutes.

Outside, they could hear screaming, almost drowned out by loud piano music, and as owen hammered on the door as hard as possible, it looked like they weren't going to be able to get in.

There was a screeching of tires, and Jack barelled out of the SUV followed by Ianto and Jonathan.

" Do you hear that? " Gwen asked.

" Maybe it's my mum and dad," Jonathan said.

" Would they lock themselves in? " Gwen asked, as Lily nudged Owen aside and pulled out the laser spanner, pointing it at the door.

" No," Jonathan said, taking his keys out.

" No need," Lily said, as they door swung open.

" How'd you do that? " asked Jonathan, raising his eyebrows.

Lily shrugged, holding up the laser spanner, " Magic. Now come on - in. "

Jonathan ran ahead of the others and into the main theatre, where the music were coming from. The others followed quickly, shouting warnings at him to be careful, but he didn't listen and ran to the front row, where two figures were in the seats.

Several things happened at once then.

They realised that Faith and Dave Penn were in the same state as the others, Jonathan fell to pieces and Gwen tried to comofrt him and reassure him. Organ music started and the curtain opened. The film started, and as Gwen tried to lead Jonathan from the room, Ianto an Jack moved in to inspect the screen and the film, and Owen and Lily ran towards the projection room to find out what was going on.

They hurried up the stairs, and Owen pulled out his gun, prompting Lily to pull out her stun gun at the same time. Owen was about to hammer on the door, when Lily grabbed his arm and pulled it down.

" Shush," she whispered, " don't let them know we're coming. We don't know who's in there. Just go straight in, yeah? "

" Yeah," Owen muttered back, " on three. One ... two ... three. "

Owen burst through the door, and Lily's eyes widened when she saw a figure standing with it's back to them, and it was the Ghostmaker.

" Move," Owen whispered to her, before the Ghostmaker could turn around and see them.

" What? " she frowned.

" Move it," Owen hissed, shoving her towards a table. She frowned, but suddenly realised that she had breath and Owen didn't. She threw herself under the nearest table as the Ghostmaker slowly and dramatically turned around.

She watched as the Ghostmaker started towards Owen, and grabebd him by the neck, pinning him to the door. Lily looked at her stun gun and was comtemplating whether it would work on the Ghostmaker.

Owen gasped and struggled, and the Ghostmaker leaned in towards him. Lily slowly crawled out from under the table with the intention of sneaking up, but the Ghostmaker snarled at Owen, " What are you? There's not a breath in your body, boy! You're no use to me. "

He let go of Owen and swiftly left the room, leaving Owen to slump against the wall, gasping for breath.

Lily scrambled to her feet and threw her arms around Owen's neck fiercely. She hugged him tightly, and he clung to her more than he usually would, leaning down and burying his face against her hair.

" Shhh, sweetie," Lily said soothingly, " you're ok. "

Owen cleared his throat, and Lily got up on her toes and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, " Thank you so much," she said, " you just saved my life. "

" It was nothing," Owen said, grasping her wrist and pulling her from the room. They started down the stairs and back to the threare, and Lily told him, " It was most certainly not nothing. "

Owen shrugged, " It was just the obvious thing to do, weren't it? "

Down in the theatre, Jack saw that Owen was panting and gasping, and he laid a hand on his shoulder in support, " Ghostmaker," Owen muttered.

" I know," Jack said, " we're onto it. I need to get going, he's so close, and I can catch him now and get the flask. You two meet us back at the hub - make a few phonecalls to the hospital in about ... ten minutes, and see what's going on with the victims. "

" Gotcha," Lily said, " good luck. "

As she turned away, Jack caught hold of her arm and pulled her back to face him, moving in and kissing her firmly on the lips with a smirk. Then he turned and raced off, and Lily shook her head and turned back to Owen,

" Come on," she said.

Just as they got back to the hub and were settled down with a drink each (though Lily's attempts at making coffee were terrible, so they each had a glass of orange juice), filling Tosh in on what had happened, the comms beeped.

" Baby, will you give the hospital a ring for me? " Jack asked, " I'm on my way back, and I think we've cracked it. I think we've done it. "

" Oh brilliant," Lily grinned, " I'll do it right now. See you soon, yeah? "

" Yeah, love you. "

" Love you. "

Lily was overjoyed to find that all those in the hospital had come back to a proper life, and when Jack, Gwen and Ianto returned a few minutes later, Lily told them the news.

Everyone was very happy they'd managed to help the people, and Jack told the team they could all go home. It was, after all, the early hours of the morning, and they'd all been here all day, and throughout the night.

Lily gave Owen a hug before he went and muttered another thank you in his ear, which he shook off, still claiming it was nothing. Owen left first, followed by Gwen, then Tosh. As Ianto got ready to leave, Lily shouted after him,

" Ianto! "

He turned around and smiled at her, and she grinnned, " I think we should start the wedding planning tomorrow. I'm going to ring my dad in the morning and see if he'll take us somewhere in time or space for the wedding. Then we need to figure out where to go, who to invite, what to wear, what to do ... "

" Lily," Ianto said calmly, " we'll sort it out. You know your dad'll say he'll take you to wherever you want. We'll sort it. I promise. "

Lily smiled, and Ianto smiled back, before turning away and leaving.

Once Ianto had left, Lily turned out the last of the lights and went down into Jack's office. He wasn't in there, and she knew he'd already gone down to bed, so she clambered down the ladder under the manhole cover and landed with catlike grace at the bottom after a slight jump.

She pushed open the bedroom door to see Jack was getting undressed, and she grinned, leaning up in the doorway silently. She watched Jack with an amused smirk and once he was just down to his boxer shorts, and turned towards the bed, he saw Lily standing there.

" Enjoying yourself there, are you? " he asked, smirking at her as he got under the covers.

" Mmmm yeah," Lily grinned, coming into the bedroom and shutting the door behind herself. She shrugged out of her coat and tossed it over the desk, and started unbuttoning her blouse.

Soon, the pair of them were curled up together, and Jack held Lily close to him, with both of his strong muscular arms around her slender body.

" Well done today," he said, kissing the top of her head.

" I didn't do anything today," she replied

" Sure you did," he replied, " you were there, weren't you? Kept the case going, pushed it along, kept everyone in line. " He sighed, " what would we do without you? "

" You'd be lost," Lily chuckled, looking up at him with a grin.

They were silent for a few moments, and each knew the other was thinking about what had happened today. Jack sighed and mumbled, " Today was tough, but we got through it, right? So tomorrow will be ok. "

" I know," Lily said, " tomorrow, Ianto, Tosh and I are going to plan the wedding. Or at least, start to. I need to check that dad'll take me somewhere else for the wedding, and then we'll have to choose somewhere to go. "

" It should be somewhere that's special to us," Jack said, " or somewhere - oh, I don't know. Just somewhere that's fabulous and romantic. 1941 - what about the year we met? "

" World war two? " Lily asked, pulling a face, " I don't think that's a good idea somehow. Blitz ... nazi ... bombing. There's a good chance the entire wedding party will die in a bombing. "

" Awwww," Jack moaned, " but that would have been perfect. "

Lily rolled her eyes, " You just leave the planning to me and Ianto, yeah? Maybe that way it'll be safe and we'll get married and ... and it'll be perfect. "

" It'll be perfect no matter what. "


	20. Wedding Plans

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: Just a nice chapter about wedding plans. Exit Wounds should be up next, followed by the Stolen Planet/Journey's end from Doctor Who. The wedding will probably be after Exit Wounds and before Stolen Planet, so Donna can be there - let me know what you think of this. **

Chapter Twenty

By the mid-day, the next day, Ianto, Lily and Tosh were sitting around the table in the conference room. Ianto had a list drawn up of everything they needed to decide.

" So you're set on Christmas day? " he asked, making a note of it.

Lily nodded, " Jack really wanted Christmas day, but it'll depend where we have it. My dad says he'll take us wherever we want to do, because I rung him this morning. I rung UNIT too, and they've got a member who's ordained, so we'll have him do the ceremony. Since Jack and I don't have legal documents or anything, we really can't have a normal priest, so UNIT's man is the best way to go - UNIT know all about me, after all. "

" Brilliant," nodded Ianto, " so where do you want to go? "

" I had some ideas, actually," Lily said, pulling a scrap of paper from her pocket, " Jack and I were brainstorming last night. His ideas were mostly useless, but we came up with a few. I just want ... " she sighed, " I just want something romantic and perfect. "

" Course you do," Tosh nodded, " so what have you got? "

" Maybe Italy - Venice - in the Renaissance. You know, 16th, 17th century. I've been there before - it's beautiful. Or Paris, but I couldn't think of a time period. There's so many beautiful places to go to, I don't know what to choose. "

" What about London? " Ianto suggested, " it's a beautiful city - there's plenty of places you could go. "

" I know, it all depends on the venue," Lily said, " I want to ... " she suddenly gasped and clapped a hands together, " I know! I've got it. "

Ianto and Tosh looked at her, waiting for an answer, and she said with a grin, " The Globe Theatre. "

She was glowing as she said it, and the other two smiled a little, though they didn't seem convinced. " Can we get the Globe Theatre for weddings? " Ianto asked, pulling a face, " I'll admit it's one of the most spectactular buildings in London, but ... it's busy. "

" Not if we go back in time a bit," Tosh pointed out, " Lily, if you really want it, I'm sure we could swing it. You've just got to be ambitious. "

Another thought came to Lily and she grinned, " It could be doable, actually. William Shakespeare owes me a favour or two. Will and his company had the theatre built in 1599. In 1599, not long after it was built, I went to the Globe with my dad and Martha, and i saw Will. He figured out wht we were - time travellers from another world, and he was cool with it. We stopped the globe being destroyed by Carrionites. I think ... I think we might be able to swing it. "

" Do you think your ex-husband will help you get the venue for your wedding to another man? And do you think Jack will mind? "

" Yes he'll help, and no he won't mind," Lily said, " Will and I never ... we never had the real sort of marriage. We were kids, we were rebellious and it was fun, but it was never true love. The last time I saw him, he was lovely. I think he'll help. "

Ianto nodded, " If you think so. But how the hell are we going to - "

" Don't worry about it," Lily insisted, " dad'll help me. I'll have to get him to take me back in time and ask him. God, I hope this works. If it does, it'll be brilliant. "

" And what about the guest list? " Ianto asked.

" That's easy," Lily shrugged, " ready? "

Ianto, nodded, and wrote down the names she told him.

" Me, Jack, my dad, you, Cate if you want, Tosh, Owen, Gwen, Rhys, Donna, Martha, Tish, Martha's mum and dad, Sarah Jane, Alice and Steven. And Will. I can't think of anyone else we want there. "

Ianto looked at the list and nodded, " That's easy enough. A small ceremony, even if they all come. Lovely. Then there's the decoration of the venue, the outfits, the details of the wedding party, the invitations. "

" Invitations," scoffed Lily, " there's about fifteen people coming. Strictly only people we really care about. Decoration of the venue can be sorted out once we know for definite where our wedding actually is, as can food. Outfits, we need to get onto. It's going to take ages to find the perfect dress. "

" And the wedding party? " Tosh asked, " ooh, and a hen do? "

" Wedding party," Lily nodded, " bridesmaids - just you. Dad to give me away, Owen to be best man, I think. That'll be all, won't it? "

Hours and hours later of talking about, they came to the decision that they needed to pay Shakespeare a visit and see if he'd help them. They took a break when Ianto ordered some pizzas for dinner, and Lily went into Jack's office, where he was working through a pile of paperwork.

" I've had an idea," she said, walking over to him and plucking the paperwork from under his fingers. She put it to one side while he leaned back in his seat with his arms behind his head.

" Yeah? " he asked.

She grinned, and he could tell she was bursting with excitement. She paused and then asked him with a delighted grin, and a glow to her face, " How do you fancy getting married in ... the Globe Theatre? "

Jack smiled slightly and leaned forwards in his seat, putting both of his elbows down on his desk. He looked at her and said, " C'mere. "

Lily sat down opposite him, and he reached out and took hold of both of her hands in his, " I think that's a brilliant idea," he said, leaning in and pecking her lips gently, " do you think we can do it, though? "

" Here's the thing," Lily said, biting her bottom lip and looking down, " It's a popular venue, and I don't think we'll get it now. But I know people. I was thinking, we could go back to Shakespeare's time and get him to help us. I'm sure he would you know. That is, if you don't mind? "

" Why would I mind? " Jack asked, playing with her hands gently, " and yes, I _know _you were married to him about four hundred years ago, but that's no big deal. It might be fun to meet the guy. "

" D'you want to do it then? " Lily asked with a grin.

Jack grinned, and he kissed the back of her hand, and then the back of the other. " Let's do it," he said, leaning forwards and then kissing her lips.

The next few days were a blur of wedding plans, and Lily managed to get in touch with both Martha and Sarah Jane, who said they'd be coming to the wedding. Martha told Lily she was having a few problems with Tom, and Sarah Jane told her she'd adopted a teenage son, who Lily immediately extended the invitation.

Lily had managed to get hold of her dad, who told her he'd come for her the next day - on earth time - to take her to London and track down Shakespeare. Today, however, was reserved for something entirely different.

Lily stood in Jack's office, buttoning up her coat.

" You're sure you don't want me to come with you? " Jack asked.

" No," Lily said, " leave it to me. It'll feel like were ganging up on her other wise, and I want this to go really well. She's your daughter Jack, and it's important to get this right. Now ... you're sure she's ok to meet me? "

" Calm down," Jack said, reaching out and laying his hands on her shoulders, " I saw her yesterday, and she said, didn't she? I don't think she's overjoyed at the thought of meet you, but she feels like she should do. "

" Not overjoyed, eh? " Lily asked, pulling a face, " doesn't exactly fill me with confidence, you know. "

" You can't blame her," Jack said, " it's nothing to do with you, but it's ... she thinks I'm dangerous, and she's right, isn't she? She does the right thing by staying away. "

Lily shook her head, " Kids need their parents, Jack," she told him, before getting up on her toes and kissing his cheek, " I'll see you soon, right? "

Jack didn't look too convinced, and Lily smiled. She held up her hand and pointed at her finger, " Just remember why I'm meeting her, right? It seems like lots of awful planning and messing about, but once it comes to the big day ... "

" I know," Jack said, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her to him with a smile. " I'll have an amazing wife. Imagine been able to call you my wife. Mrs Lily Harkness. The Mrs. _My _Mrs. "

Lily smiled and they shared a kiss before Lily really knew she had to go.

She felt both nervous and excited about meeting Alice - she knew Jack had told Alice very little about her, and she wondered exactly how much she'd have to tell Alice.

She walked into the coffee shop across the bay, where she'd arranged to meet Alice. She scanned the shop quickly, and saw a woman sitting across the shop. She was pretty sure it was Alice, and as she took two steps closer, she knew it.

She approached and stopped a few feet away.

She cleared her throat and asked, " Alice Carter? "

The woman looked at her - she had pale skin, dark hair and looked about fourty. Alice - as Lily knew her to be - nodded at her, " You ... you're Lily? "

Lily smiled, " Yeah," she said, reaching out and shaking Alice's hand, though Alice was hesitant. She sat down opposite her after telling a passing barista what she'd have.

" How are you? " Lily asked with a smile.

Alice looked shocked at Lily's appearane. To Alice, she saw a rather beautiful woman, with shiny black hair, pale skin and an ever present smile. She was young - much younger than Alice herself, and it struck her that she was older than her dad's girlfriend.

" You ... _you're _dad's ... fiance? " she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Lily nodded, " Yeah. I am. "

" Not like him to do labels," Alice said, shaking her head.

" I know," Lily smiled slightly, trying to put Alice at ease, " but he's changed a lot. Really. " She grinned as the young boy who worked there brought her drink, and she accepted it gratefully.

Alice looked at her for a few moments, trying to figure her out, and then she added, " You're not what I was expecting at all. Dad said he loved you, told me how special you were, but you look .. well, you look normal. And dad's not normal. "

" No, he's not," Lily agreed, taking a sip of her coffee, " I can't tell you how suprised I was to find out that I'm .. sort of a step-grandmother. "

" Well, if you _will _date outside your age range," Alice shrugged, smiling a little, as Lily realised she and Alice might be getting used to each other. " I mean, isn't it odd? You can't be much over 20? 23, 24? "

Lily smiled, " I know I look young, but I'm not. Shall I tell you a secret? "

Alice sighed, " You're like him, aren't you? "

Lily shrugged, " Not exactly the same, but ... in a way. It's not quite like his ... I'm ... do you want me to tell you this, or not? "

Alcie hesitated, and then she said, " I know what dad can do, what is he. I know he fights aliens. I know, and I sort of, ignore it because it's easier that way. I suppose I should know what my new step-mother _is. "_

_" _Step mother," Lily repeated with a mutter, " oh my God, you'll be my step daughter - oh, that's so weird. Anyway, I'm from ... far away. I can live for a very long time, like your dad can, but whereas he dies and comes back to life, if I die, I've got this little trick called regeneration. Basically, if I'm about to die, my whole body and face change. I have a whole new appearance, slightly different personality, but I'm still ... still me, but different. "

Alice took a moment so consider this, and she shook her head, " Ok then," she said, " I'm starting to understand why you're with him now. Now you seem much more like his type. "

" Does he have a type? " Lily asked, shaking her head.

" I suppose not," Alice said, " but you're certainly unique. If you can put up with him and keep him in line, then I respect you for it. "

Lily chuckled, " He's a handful, but he behaves himself if he doesn't want to sleep on the sofa. "

" I can't imagine dad been bossed about by anyone else," Alice said, " it doesn't seem quite like him. To be honest, I was suprised to hear he was getting married at all. When he first mentioned your name to me, I assumed it was a casual thing, until he mentioned you again. And then he told me he'd proposed to you ... well, I was suprised. "

" I don't blame you," Lily said.

" I never thought he'd be one to settle down," Alice said, " whatever you've done to him, you've really changed him. "

" I suppose so," Lily said, shaking her head, " but I never set out to change him. It was ... it just sort of happened. Jack and I just think on the same level, we work great together, we just ... I know it sounds stupid, but we just go together. Sounds silly, doesn't it? "

Alice shrugged, " Not if that's how you really feel. Dad could do with someone to look after him - God knows he gets into enough trouble. "

Lily inclined her head, " That man will get into trouble regardless of who else is around. "

There was a pause between them, and both felt like they'd come to some sort of arrangement where they felt comfortable with each other.

" Listen," Lily said, leaning forwards, " I know you think he's trouble, and is most of the time, but he really cares about you. He'd be there for you more often if you wanted, but he stays away because he thinks it's what you want. "

" It _is_ what I want," Alice said quietly, " when he's around - comes over every so often to see me and Steven - it's alright, but my mother took me away from him for my own safety, and I need to continue that safety to my own child. "

" But ... your mother's gone now, isn't she? Don't you ever think it'd be better to have one parent in your life? Jack really does care - told me loads about you and Steven. Even has a picture of you in his wallet. And no, he's not the perfect father, but no-one's ever shown him how to be a dad, and he's never had the chance. "

Alice sighed, " I know you're trying to help, and maybe I'll think about it, but it's all about Steven's safety. He's my son, and he's all I've really got. You've not got any children, have you? "

" No," Lily said, shaking her head.

" Then I wouldn't except you to understand," Alice said. She winced, " I don't mean to sound awful, but you seem like a decent person and I can talk to you honestly. If you and my dad are happy together, then I'm happy for you, and dad can continue to see me and Steven, but I just don't want to take any risks. He's dangerous, and I can never feel safe around him for so long. "

Lily nodded in understanding and they lapsed into another short silence, until Alice looked at her curiously, " Do you ever think about having children? " she asked, " with my dad? "

Lily smiled, " I'd love a couple of kids, nice family. I don't know. I don't know what Jack thinks. Doesn't seem like the type, but then again, he wasn't the marrying type when I first met him. He's mentioned it a couple of times, just in passing. We'll have to wait and see, won't we? "

" Can I make a suggestion? " Alice asked, " and I don't want to seem like I'm scaring you or anything here, but ... "

" No, go ahead," Lily said, intruiged.

Alice looked at Lily carefully, " If you ever have children with him, for god's sake keep an eye on them. My mother used to tell me what a dangerous man he could be. God knows what could happen to kids. Just .. be careful, yeah? "

Lily hated the thought of that, and she shuddered a little, before shaking her head, " Come on," she said, " let's hear some positive things. Why don't you tell me about Steven - dad says he's ten now? "

The two women spoke for another half an hour, mostly about Steven, and eventually moved onto the topic of the wedding.

" Do you think you and Steven will be able to make it? " Lily asked, " it's only going to be a small ceremony, the list of people comes to less than twenty actually, but we'd like it if you could be there. It'd mean a lot. "

" I think we could go," Alice nodded, " we'll stay for the service at the very least. When are you planning on getting married? And where? "

" Well," Lily said, chewing her lip, " it's a bit weird, actually. Did you know about your dad's involvement in time travel? "

Alice pulled a face, " He's referred to it a couple of time, so I always just assumed, yeah. "

" Well, we were thinking the Globe Theatre, 17th Century - when it's only just been built - on Christmas day," she grinned.

" You're mental," Alice said, shaking her head, " can you really do that? "

" Possibly - my dad has a time machine, so it's possible," Lily nodded, draining the last of her drink, " I know it must seem ridiculous to you, but it just ... "

" No," Alice nodded, " I suppose if I had that sort of chance, I'd do it too. "

Lily smiled, " So as for the actual date we do it, it's time travel and we don't have to go on Earth 2010 Christmas, but we thought we would. We were thinking we'd all go on Christmas Eve, stay the night in a hotel or something, and get married Christmas day. "

" Christmas Eve," Alice nodded, " so that's ... about eight weeks. "

" Yeah. "

Their meeting didn't last much longer, as Alice had go to pick Steven up from school and take him to the dentist. They had a polite goodbye outside the coffee shop, which ended in a handshake and a smile, with the promise being in touch again before the wedding.

When Lily got back to the hub, she was in quite a good mood, and she found Jack, as always, sitting in his office.

" Hey kitten," she said, flinging open the office door without knocking (not that she ever did)

" Hey baby," Jack grinned, signing his name with a flourish before tossing the pen aside and standing up. He came around his desk and they shared a warm hug.

" How did it go? " asked Jack, both of his hands on her shoulders.

" I think it went rather well, actually," Lily said with a smile, " Alice seems nice. We got to know each other a little bit - we're not all there, but I think she's happy enough with me. We had a good chat, actually. "

" Really? " Jack asked.

" Really," Lily assured him, as he pulled her in and hugged her again. She hugged him back, her hands curled up to his chest.

" I'm so proud of you, you know," he said, kissing her forehead. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck and they shared a rather more passionate kiss, which grew more and more heated.

Jack smirked and his hands moved to her trenchcoat as he continued to kiss her. He pulled it off in one swift motion and let it fall to the floor, muttering, " Too many clothes. "

Lily laughed and responded by pushing his braces off his shoulders while he left a trail of kisses down her neck.

" God, I love you," she sighed, running a hand through his hair.

" I love you," he said, " you're absolutely perfect. "

The rest of the day passed without much happening, and the next morning, as soon as Lily woke up, she was out of bed and getting dressed,

" Chill, will you? " Jack groaned, from where he lay in the bed.

" Chill? " Lily echoed, " chill? No, I won't. I'm off sorting out our wedding. All you have to do is make sure Cardiff doesn't explode in my absence. My dad's going to be here soon. "

" Soon? It's eight o bloody clock! He's not coming right this minute, is he? " Jack countered

" You know what he's like," Lily shrugged, " he'll be here any time. "

She left the bedroom, and went upstairs, where the rest of the staff were already in. As she got to her desk, she picked up her phone and checked her messages to see the last text her dad had sent her about coming to see her. As she looked through her texts, she picked up a pile of notes she and Ianto had made on the wedding, and tried to look for yesterday's memo at the same time.

She couldn't find it and she looked through her messy desk, getting annoyed. She dropped her phone and started to loose grip on her papers, and the next thing she knew, a cool voice was beside her.

" Hey, calm down," Ianto said, taking the papers from her arms and getting them down on her desk, putting down the coffee he'd just made her, and picking up her phone from her. He then plucked the memo she'd wanted from her desk drawer and handed it to her.

" Oh thank you," Lily breathed, " I'm just ... all over the place. I can't think straight, because what if my dad doesn't come? Or what if Will can't get us the globe and we have to go somewhere else, and I can't find anywhere else? Or what if - "

" Calm," Ianto said slowly, holding up one hand. It was rare that he saw Lily like this, and he didn't think he'd ever seen her get stressed out - the only things she usually worried about were Jack and Jack's safety, " everything's going to be fine. That's why I'm helping you out, right? Me, you and Tosh. It's all going to be fine. "

Lily nodded, putting her mind together. " Yeah, you're - you're right. "

Less than ten minutes later, Lily's phone rang, and she answered it after the first ring,

" Dad? " she asked, since she'd not even taken the time to look at the caller ID.

" Hello Lily," the familiar voice said, and she could hear the smile there, " Donna and I are outside - are you coming out to meet us, or are we coming in for a bit? "

The Doctor and Donna had seen the inside of the hub before, and both thought it was magical.

" I'll meet you outside the tourist office, and then you can come down here. Jakc's only just gotten up, the lazy sod. He kept telling me it was pointless getting up so early because you wouldn't come at 8 o clock, and I told him you might do, but he doesn't listen. I'll see you in two minutes. "

She closed the phone and then told Ianto, " I'll be back soon. Dad and Donna are coming down here for a bit before we set off. He's not seen Jack and me since before we got engaged. Would you make them a coffee, please? I keep telling him how good your coffee is, but he's never around to taste it. "

" I .. um .. of course," Ianto nodded, " do you want me to make sure Jack's up and about? "

Lily shook her head, " Ianto, you're a massive help to us, but you don't have to be our maid. "

" Nonesense," Ianto said, " I like to help. "

Lily gave him a grateful smile, and she hurried off to meet her dad and Donna. The pair of them were stood in the tourist office, and she saw them as soon as she entered.

It felt like she hadn't seen her dad in ages and he was grinning that manic grin which was so similar to hers. She grinned and launched herself forwards, like she was a little girl again, hugging him fiercely.

" Ah Lily, Lily, Lily," the Doctor grinned, wrapping his arms around her and spinning her around gleefully. " Oh, congratulations, Lils. "

Lily grinned too, as he sat her back on her feet. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear and smiled at her. She looked at him with wide eyes and asked, " You're sure you're alright with this? "

" Of course I am," her dad told her, " I wouldn't have agreed to it otherwise, would I? I'm more than happy for you. I like Jack, I know he's right for you. "

Lily smiled, and Donna pushed the Doctor out of the way. " Go on then," she said, looking at Lily, " let's see the ring! "

Lily held her hand out proudly, and showed off the dazzling ring that sat on the fourth finger of her left hand.

" Ooh, you lucky girl! " Donna cried, staring at the ring, " that fella of yours isn't half bad - Ooh, I'd kill for someone like him. "

" Oh, don't let him hear you say that," Lily said, pushing the button to open the door down to the hub, " you know what he's like. Biggest ego I've ever met. "

Donna laughed, and the three of them made small talk about where the Doctor and Donna had been recently, and how everyone was, until they got into the hub - for once, even Owen was in on time, though no-one was doing much work.

Owen was sitting down in the autopsy bay, doing very little, while Tosh and Gwen were talking away by Gwen's desk, and Jack was sitting on the edge of Lily's desk, talking to Ianto.

The Doctor greeted the others, as he'd met them all before at least once, even if he didn't know them that well, but when he got to Jack, Jack grinned and the pair of them shared a manly sort of hug, followed by laughter.

" Good to see you, Doc," Jack said, clapping the Doctor on the back.

" And you," the Doctor said, " congratulations, Jack. Well done. "

Jack laughed nervously, but the Doctor smiled at him,

" I'd say welcome to the family," the Doctor shrugged, " but you've been part of our family for a long time. "

Jack looked back at him, touched, and smiled, trying to stop himself from getting too soppy, " I ... thanks, Doctor. "

The Doctor sighed and shook his head, " Who'd have thought you'd end up being my son in law, when we first met? Weird isn't it? Anyway... "

Donna went off to talk to the girls and Ianto handed the Doctor a mug of tea, Lily looked Jack up and down,

" Nice to see you've dragged yourself out of bed," she said, eyeing him in mock disapproval.

" Only because Ianto shouted at me," Jack said, shaking his head, " since when did my staff switch allegiance and start following you? Before you got here, a member of my staff wouldn't have dreamed of shouting down that manhole cover and telling me to get my arse up here. Then you come here and you cause chaos. "

Lily shrugged, " I can't help it if I've made friends here."

She actually found it odd, the way they divided up. Although Jack was the boss, everyone knew that Lily pulled the strings behind Jack, and he'd come to rely on her, and almost share his authority equally with her. Owen would always take Lily's orders over Jack's, while Gwen would always take Jack's orders over Lily's, and Ianto and Tosh were fairly easy going.

Jack sighed, and shook his head, " I suppose we're a lot better off with you around. "

" You'd be lost without me and you know it," Lily replied, folding her arms over her chest.

The Doctor was watching their little exchange with a smile and he could only think of how proud he was of his daughter. " That's my girl," the Doctor said with a proud smile, " I hope you're still taking good care of her, Jack. "

Jack smiled, " Yeah," he said, " but she can take care of herself pretty well too. "

After a while of standing around and talking, the Doctor smiled at Lily, " You ready to go? " he asked her.

She smiled, " Yeah, let's go. "

She looked at Jack with a grin and said, " I'm taking Ianto and Tosh with me. "

" You're what? " Jack asked, frowning, " baby, I know this is our wedding, and it's important, but what if something happens? What if I need more than three people? I can't run this place on me, Gwen and Owen! "

" Jack," Lily said softly, as the Doctor wandered over to Donna, Gwen and Tosh, all of whom were listening in to the Jack and Lily's conversation while pretending not to be.

Jack sighed, knowing she'd end up worming her way around him, " Lily, I need more than two people here," he said, shaking his head.

" Jack," she repeated with a little pout. She took a step towards him and laid her hands on his waist, pulling him a little closer to her and looking up at him. " Remind me where I'm going? "

" To look for a wedding venue," Jack said, reaching out and touching her cheek gently.

" Yes," she nodded slowly, " for _whose _wedding? "

" For our wedding," Jack replied.

Lily smiled, " Exactly. I'm going to sort out our wedding, because I want everything to be perfect. I'm sure you can manage without us, Jack. I'll make it up to you later ... I promise. "

Jack smiled - there was nothing she ever said that he was able to say no to, and he knew that would always be the way, because he loved her. " I'll see the three of you when you get back then, won't I? "

Lily smiled, " Thank you," she said quietly.

He grinned and leaned down, kissing her cheek softly and moving his lips to her ear, where he said in a low voice, " Don't let that Shakespeare try anything with you. You're a beautiful woman, baby, and I've got no doubts that he'll be after you. "

" Lucky for you, I don't want him," she smirked - she didn't think she was beautiful, but she could never argue with Jack on that matter, because he was relentless.

Jack smiled and tilted her chin up with his thumb and forefinger, before capturing her lips with his. They shared a short and sweet kiss, before Lily turned away from him and looked around the hub.

" Ianto! " she called - Donna, the Doctor, Gwen, Tosh and Owen, were all standing around talking by now. Ianto joined them, and Lily grinned at her dad, " Ready to go? " she asked, looking around at Ianto and Tosh, who were stood on either side of her.

" Ready," the Doctor nodded.

" Not me," Donna said, " I was thinking ... well ... we don't all need to go, do we? And if Jack's down on numbers, maybe I could stay here and help out? "

The Doctor agreed, and Jack was quite suprised, but simply nodded. Lily found it quite funny, and when they were all getting ready to go, and Donna's back was to Lily, Lily mouthed over at Jack,

" She fancies you. "

Jack raised his eyebrows, and Lily repsonded with a silent shrug.

The Doctor, Tosh, Ianto and Lily went outside, and they stopped outside the TARDIS.

" Wait 'til you see this," Lily grinned at her two friends, as the Doctor entered the TARDIS in front of her. She came in next, and when Tosh and Ianto followed, they both walked slowly, taking in the sights, and staring around in awe.

" This is ... this is amazing," breathed Tosh in awe.

" It's bigger on the inside," Ianot muttered, " how can it be bigger on the inside? "

" Time Lord magic," Lily grinned, " you thought working for Torchwood was amazing, trying travelling in time. Oh, today's going to be a good day. "

" I can't believe we're going to meet Shakespeare," Tosh said, as the Doctor set the controls in motion.

" If we can find him, that is," the Doctor said, a Tosh and Ianto gathered around the console and continued to stare at what was going on.

" We'll find him," Lily said, " I've read enough abut him over the years to know that if we go to London a year or so after the Globe was built, he'll be there. That's his pride and joy, and if we go in the autumn, London's at its busiest time, He'll be there. "

The Doctor sighed, " I don't see why it all has to come down to William bloody Shakespeare again," he said, " will we never be free of this man? "

" Don't be so dramatic," Lily said as the TARDIS took off, making its usual whoosing noise.

" Dramatic? " the Doctor asked, shaking his head, " it's not enough that you married the bloke. Then we ran into him with Martha. _Now _we're actively seeking him. That man is a flirt and a trouble causer. "

" Look who's talking," Lily scoffed, poking her dad in his side, " you're no better. "

" Better than him," the Doctor said.

" Don't be like that," Lily sighed, " he was alright last time we saw him, remmeber? You didn't even end up punching him. He'd matured ... a bit. "

" Punching him? " Ianto asked, raising his eyebrows and making a mental note not to get on the wrong side of this man.

" It was a long time ago," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " he was young, not written any of his works yet, and he married my teenage daughter - well, teenage by Gallifreyan standards. I was quite angry. I had every right to be. Then a few months later, he'd gotten some woman twice his age pregnant and he had to marry her instead. I was even angrier then. But never mind that now ... Lily's right, he's matured a bit, and we're going to need his help. "

Once the TARDIS came to a stop, Lily grinned and headed for the doors.

She flung them open to see a street ahead of them - cobbled roads, busy makret stalls down each side of the street, houses with thatched roads. She realised with a start, that the Doctor had parked in more or less the same place he had when they visited Lodond 16th century with Martha.

" We're ... we're really in Shakespeare's time? " Tosh asked, looking around, shocked.

" 1601 to be precise," the Doctor nodded.

" And we're going to meet Shakespeare? " Tosh asked, raising her eyebrow.

" Yep," the Doctor nodded, " Lily, where shall we try first? "

" The Globe," Lily suggested, as the four of them walked down the street.

" I still don't get how you were married to him, you know," Ianto said, " how is there no record of it? "

" Oh, please, it's not big deal," Lily said, shaking her head. " Dad and I were in London for a few days in about 1580-something, I met Will, we were young and rebellious, so we got married, and ended up living in the country for a couple of months. Didn't last long, and once he'd gotten Anne pregnant, he had to marry her. We were never in proper love or anything, but it was just fun. "

Ianto rolled his eyes, " How many other historical figures have you dated or married? "

" None," Lily said, shaking her head.

" I find that hard to believe," Ianto said.

The Doctor looked at Ianto, " I think you've got my daughter to a tee there," he said, " everywhere we ever went, she had to flirt with everyone we met. It's a wonder she only got married the once. Even Casa-bleeding-nova managed to charm her. "

" Dad," Lily sighed, shaking her head, " that was completely not my fault. Giacamo was a very persuasive man - he was lovely, you know, but well ... less said about him the better. " Glancing at Tosh and Ianto she added, " and for god's sake, don't tell Jack. He'll only get all macho and jealous. "

They rounded a corner and ended up stood in front of the Globe Theatre.

" Isn't it amazing? " Lily said, smiling slightly, " some of the finest architecture in England right now. "

" And he's in there? " Ianto asked.

" Could be," Lily said, " come on, let's have a look. Just - it's probably empty right now and it won't look too fantastic, but picture it all decorated, all done up. Come on. " She was excited as she laid her hand on the door, but she heard a voice from behind them.

" Who goes there? " a male voice asked loudly, " do you wish to visit the Globe Theatre? You're in luck today - there are no plays or rehearsals on. "

Lily turned around, as did the others, she she saw him standing there.

In his timeline, she'd seen him two years ago - that was the whole Carrionite incident - and he looked exactly the same. She grinned at him, and he looked back at her in complete shock.

" Lily? " he asked, looking from her to the Doctor, " Doctor? "

Lily nodded, and William Shakespeare laughed, moving forwards, " Lilyflower !" he proclaimed, as they both moved forward. He hugged her tightly and she slapped away his wandering hand as they broke apart.

" Well I never," he said, shaking his head, " it must have been ... two years? I thought you were long gone - never see you again. This _is _a nice suprise. " He moved towards Tosh and smiled at her, " and who might this lovely lady be? "

Lily smiled, " This is my friend Toshiko, and this is Ianto. "

" Unusual names," Will noted, before throwing them both a wink, " mind you, two unusually good looking people. And whatever happened to the lovely Martha Jones? My dark lady? "

" Martha's gone back to her faraway land," the Doctor said, " back to her family. "

" Faraway land," Will scoffed, " you can't fool me with that one - I kno perfectly well where you lot come from. Speaking of which, if you have everything in all of time to go to, why come back here? Where you missing me? "

Lily smiled - the old flirt was the same as ever. " Mr Shakespeare, you are _married_," she pointed out, " where is the old bag? "

" Lily," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes.

Will shrugged, " My wife is at home in the country with the children. Not that anyone could call Susanna and Judith children any more. 18 and 16 years old, you know! Anyway, you _have _come all this way just to see me, haven't you? "

" William," the Doctor said, shaking his head, " as the father of two young girls yourself, I'd expect you to restraint from flirting with my daughter in front of me. "

" Of course," Will said, nodding his head.

" So," Lily said, clapping her hands together, " I've ... "

" Hold on one minute," Will said, holding up a hand to silence her. She looked at him with a frown, and he moved forwards, taking hold of a few fingers of her left hand and looking at her hand, " you are betrothed? " he asked.

" I am," Lily grinned.

Will hesitated and then nodded, " Congratulations. You deserve someone. "

" Actually," Lily smiled, " do you remember the last time my father and I were here? "

" It was rather hard to forget about," Will said with a smirk.

Lily continued, " And I told you about the man I knew? We'd been together, and he died, but I was starting to have this weird feeling that he was still alive? "

Will nodded silently.

Lily smiled, holding up her hand and waggling her fingers, " I found him. Almost two yeas ago now, I think. And we're getting married. And we need a favour from you. "

Lily hadn't realised it had been two years - the Year That Never Was, and she'd been at Torchwood almost a full year now.

" Anything I can do to help," Will nodded, " and I hope this man knows just how lucky he is. "

" He'd better do," the Doctor muttered.

" So what do I need to do about it? " Will asked.

Lily bit her lip and then grinned broadly, " Jack and I were trying to think of somewhere we could get married, and we thought we might be able to get married here. " She gestured at the building behind here, " In the Globe. "

" The Globe? " Will asked, " you want to get married in there? "

" Yeah," Lily said, " In the Globe Theatre on Christmas day. Wouldn't that be beautiful? I didn't think I'd be able to use it, so I thought if we came to visit you, you might be able to sort it out for us. "

" Sort it out? " Will asked with a laugh, " if you want to get married there, then it's yours. "

" Really? " Lily asked in delight.

" Really. "

Lily let out a little squeal of excitement and hugged him tightly, making him laugh and hug her back. Will was suprised they wanted to get married there, but assured her that very little happened in there on Christmas day, so she was welcome to use it.

The five of them went inside, and as Lily looked around the empty theatre, it looked like a completely different place to her. She pictured decorations all around, flowers and ribbons, with chairs on the currently empty floor and she and Jack in the front of the room, all eyes on them.

" Oh Lily," Tosh breathed, " it's ... it's going to be perfect. "

Ianto was walking aroud the whole perimeter of the place, and he looked down at a piece of paper in his hand - they'd made a list of everything they needed to sort out, and he was already planning everything out for the happy couple.

They stayed in the Globe a while longer, the Doctor and Will chatting about this and that while the others made wedding plan - the Doctor claimed wedding plans were too girly for him, and Will greatly agreed.

They all went to the nearest pub for a bit of lunch, and in the middle of the afternoon, decided it was time to get going back.

" So I'll see you all on the 25th of December," Will grinned as the Doctor, Lily, Tosh and Ianto prepared to leave the pub.

" No, no," Lily said, " we'll have to come the day before to get everything organised. I was thinking we could come on Christmas Eve, decorate the Globe, get everything ready, and stay the night before the wedding. Oh! So actually, we'll need a few rooms booking at an inn for Christmas Eve - Will, make sure you organise that, won't you? "

" How many rooms? " he asked.

The Doctor touched Lily's arm, " Not too many, because technically we could all sleep on the TARDIS. "

" No, we can't," Lily said, " if I sleep on the TARDIS, Jack has to sleep somewhere else. Its bad luck to see each other, isn't it? He and Owen can sleep in the inn. Martha, Donna, me, you, Ianto and Tosh, Sarah Jane and Luke can all sleep on the TARDIS. God knows there's enough bedrooms. Martha's family can't make it. Jack's daughter and her son can sleep on here. Ianto, is that everyone? "

" What about Gwen? " Ianto reminded her.

She pulled a face, " Gwen and Rhys can sleep on the TARDIS too, I suppose. Oh, I don't know. Will, just book me the one room then, yeah? Oh, and of course you're invited. Bring Anne and your daughters, if you want. "

Will grinned, " Oh yes. Though I'm not sure how I'd explain it to Anne. "

" Oh, it's been 20 years in your timeline," Lily shrugged, " she won't remember my face. Now, we'll be back. In about 8 weeks. "

" I look forward to meeting your husband-to-be," Will said, " I suppose I'll have to see if he's any good for you. "

" He's plenty good enough for her, I think," the Doctor said, " In fact, I know. "

They said their goodbyes, before getting back into the TARDIS.

Once they were in Cardiff, Ianto and Tosh thanked the Doctor and started back towards the hub, while Lily hugged her dad tightly. She noticed Donna and Jack standing by the railings of the bay,

" I'll see you soon," he said, " in fact, I'll see you on Christmas Eve, won't I? Have you heard back from everyone you needed to hear back from? How many people are actually coming, excluding you and Jack? "

" Yeah, 13, plus the UNIT vicar, and Will, the wife and his daughters, once we get there, " Lily said, " so you're coming to pick us all up, right? Then we get there, organise stuff for the wedding, and Martha is insisting that me and the girls have a hen do or whatever humans call it, the night before the wedding. "

" When did you talk to Martha? " the Doctor asked.

" Well," Lily shrugged, " I haven't seen her, but we're always on the phone. Or at least, when she gets two spare minutes from UNIT. So I'll see you soon. "

The Doctor smiled and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, " See you soon, darling," he said, kissing her forehead, " look after yourself, right? Call me if you need anything before the wedding. "

" I will. And thanks, daddy," she smiled.

He grinned, " Daddy? Ooh, I _am _getting the special treatment. I love you too. "

Lily took a step away from him, and looked over towards Jack and Donna. Donna was walking towards the pair of them by now, and the Doctor raised his hand and shouted a goodbye to Jack from across the bay.

Once Donna and the Doctor had gone, Lily smiled and looked over to Jack. He knew she was there but he wasn't moving towards her or looking at her, as he waited for her.

He was stood with his back to her, leaning against the railings and looking out across the waters. The breezy wind whipped around him, and the bottom of his trenchcoat fanned out around him, with some of his hair blowing around too.

Lily took the time to admire him from behind as she walked towards him - she was slightly disappointed that the coat covered the shape of his body.

When she got to his side, she leaned against the railings too, and looked sodeways at him.

" Hi," she said.

He smiled and took a step back from the railings, reaching out and taking her waist. He pulled her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her waist. His arms were tight around her, and he felt warm and strong. She leaned back against him with a contented smile, as they both faced out over the bay.

" How was your day? " Lily asked him.

" Quiet," he replied, " I missed you. "

Lily loved these moments when he was a complete romantic. It felt like he was shielding her from the cold and the wind, and the rest of the world, and all they needed was each other.

" Missed you too," Lily said, " but it was worth going, because I've got the wedding organised. Will's sorted me out, and we can definitley have the Globe. Oh, Jack, I can't wait. "

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

She continued happily, " I can't wait to see all my friends at the same time, and to celebrate our love, and to wear the big white wedding dress, but most of all, I can't wait to be your wife. "

Jack sighed happily, " Mrs Lily Harkness," he said wrapping his arms around her even tighter if it was possible, and pulling her a bit closer to him.

" Don't," Lily warned him, a playful smile on his face, " you'll jinx it. "

" Don't be ridiculous," Jack scoffed, slowly turning her around by the waist so she was now facing him.

Slowly, he kissed her lips, and he was smiling as he told her, " nothing could jinx it. It's meant to be. "

" You're right," she said, getting on her toes and kissing his cheek, " now ... didn't I say I'd make it up to you, for running off to London with half of your staff? How about I ... make it up to you at home? "

Jack grinned, " Come on, baby," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist as they started back to the hub.

**Author's Note: The next chapters up will be Fragments and Exit Wounds, which will include the deaths/or not deaths of Tosh and Owen, and a possible regeneration for Lily. After that, I think I'll start a seperate story, because her regenerating is a huge event. **

**Let me know what you think. **


	21. Fragments

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter Twenty-One

The next day was filled with chasing around several weevils on the loose which had to be rounded up but the day after was considerably quieter.

That morning, they were quiet, and Owen was, as usual, the last into work - mangaging to get there half an hour late. Ianto, and Tosh were on their first drink of the morning and were drinking their coffees together while having a chat around Tosh's workstation.

" Where's them two? " Owen asked, approaching the others.

" Jack came along and said he was taking Lily out for a drink," Ianto said, " apparently there's some new coffee shop along the bay that he wanted to try out. "

" What? As if they couldn't get enough coffee from here? " Owen said, shaking his head.

" Change of scenery," Tosh shrugged, " they work here, they live here. It's quiet, so they probably fancied going somewhere else while they've got the chance. "

" Gwen not in yet either? " Owen asked.

" Not yet," Ianto replied, " I've rung her, but I didn't get an answer. "

" How long have those two been gone? " Owen asked.

" About an hour," Tosh shrugged.

" Brilliant," Owen grinned, " they won't even know I was late. "

Ianto rolled his eyes, " That's all your bothered about? Pulling one over on your boss? You get paid a very good wage, and you can't even bother to get here on time. "

" You've nothing to worry about anyway," Tosh pointed out, " I doubt they'll mind you being a bit late. Or Lily wouldn't, at least, and she can always talk Jack around. "

" I'll never figure out why she's got a soft spot for you," Tosh said, shaking her head.

" It's because she's a clever girl and she knows a good thing when she sees it," Owen shrugged, " I'm telling you, she's one small step away from leaving the Captain and moving into my place."

Tosh said, " Aren't you going to be best man at their wedding? "

" That reminds me," Ianto told Owen, " you owe me a tenner. "

" £10? " Tosh asked, looking between the two men.

" Ah, ah, ah, not yet," Owen said, shaking his head, " they haven't actually tied the not yet, have they? "

Ianto told Tosh, " When Lily first got here, Owen was insistant that they wouldn't last two minutes, but I knew how much he loved her from how he spoke about her, so I thought they'd be married within the year. And they will be. "

" Any other little bets going on that I should know about? " Tosh asked, jokingly.

" Just the one," Owen shrugged, " I reckon she'll be pregnant within 6 months. Ianto reckons it'll be much longer, because they're not planning a family. "

" Well, I don't think they've even thought about it," Ianto pointed out.

" They don't have to plan it for it to happen, you know," Owen said, " I'm a Doctor, I know about these things. From the amount of times they sneak off into the archives, or the office, or the hothouse, it's a wonder she isn't already pregnant. "

" Owen," Tosh said, shaking her head, " you're supposed to be her friend - how can you speculate like that? "

" What? " Owen asked innocently, " I'm not saying it as a bad thing. I'm just saying, we'll be over-run by little Lily and Jacks soon. "

" Hardly," Ianto said, rolling his eyes, " let them focus on the wedding, and on being a couple. Never mind _you _putting thoughts in their heads. "

As Owen started to reply, the cog door sounded, and Jack came storming through the hub, closesly followed by Lily. Jack looked furious, and Lily exasperated.

" C'mon Jack," she sighed, following him, " don't be like that. "

" Don't be like that? " he repeated, not looking at her, " it's alright for you! She thought I was some kind of pervert! Did you hear her? "

" I was sat right opposite you, Jack," Lily sighed, " come on, it's not like she was trying to offend you or anything. You're being ridiculous. "

Jack didn't reply, and he stormed off towards the office.

Owen leaned over to Ianto and muttered, " On second thoughts, put the baby plans on hold for a while. "

" Jack! Oh come on! " Lily called after him, though he ignored her, almost at his office.

Jack wasn't quite there, when Owen asked, " What's up with you two? "

Jack wheeled around looking furious, and Lily threw Owen a quick glare for daring to ask.

" The stupid woman in the coffee shop thought I was Lily's dad! " Jack burst out furiously, as Lily shook her head, wishing he'd calm down - she really didn't see how it was such a big deal - he didn't even look that much older than her, so the woman in the coffee shop must have been stupid.

" What? " Owen laughed, earning himself a very dark look from Jack.

" Well, what did she say exactly? " Tosh asked, raising her eyebrows.

Lily threw a worried look at Jack and replied, " The waitress was talking away our plates and mugs, and she asked us how everything was, and then she looked at me and she said "Is your dad treating you then, today?" "

Tosh giggled a little, but tried to stop herself.

" It's not funny," he said, " she had a point, didn't she? Physically, I'm about 40 years old, and Lily's about 24, but she looks younger. "

" You look younger too," Lily told him insistantly - she knew he knew he did, but he wasn't in the right mood to stop and think about it.

" You_ do not _look old enough to be her dad," Ianto pointed out, trying to be helpful, " besides, when she ties her hair back like that, she looks younger. "

" Yeah," Lily added, " the woman didn't know what she was talking about, did she? "

She moved closer to him, trying to calm him down, and this time he stood still long enough for her to get close to him and put her hands on his waist, pulling her to him slightly.

" She didn't mistake you for my dad, she mistook me for your daughter," she said, in a soothing voice.

" It's the same thing," Jack said through gritted teeth.

Lily rolled her eyes and dropped her arms from him, beginning to get quite annoyed with him, " For God's sake, Jack," she said, hands on her hips as she glared at him - the others watched in interest, since it was very rare that the pair of them argued seriously.

Jack looked at her and she glared.

" Grow up, will you? " Lily demanded, " we've been together ages, Jack, and this is the first person to ever think that about us! _One _person! You _know _you look younger than you are. No-one in their right mind looks at you and thinks you're 40! "

Jack didn't reply, but started to look sheepish. Lily wasn't finished reprimanding him.

" And another thing! " she added angrily, " you _knew _what you were getting into when we got together! I can regenerate, Jack! What the hell are you going to do if I regenerate and end up looking 16? Or _Fifty-_six? " She took a breath and now spoke more quietly, though still frankly, " It's something you'd have to handle, Jack. It's part of _being _with a time lord. If you can't handle if then ... then we have to ... to ... "

She trailed off, not sure how to end it, because she knew she couldn't live without Jack now

" No," Jack said, staring at her in shock, " we don't have to anything. I ... I can handle it. I can. "

" Then grow up," Lily said sharply.

The pair of them looked each other straight in the eyes while they calmed down, and after a minute or so of silence, Jack gave her a smile as a peace offering.

" You know," Lily said, with a smirk, " to say you've got a 40 year old daughter and a ten years old grandson, you're not looking bad. "

Jack smiled a little, but looked sheepish, and Lily made the move. She moved forwards and got up on her toes. She laid her hand on one of his cheeks and kissed the other lightly,

" Stop being silly now, yeah? "

" Yeah," he said, smiling at her before heading for the office.

Once he'd shut the door after him, Lily sighed and ran a hand through her hair. " Idiot," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

" You alright, sweetheart? " Owen asked, showing the rare display of affection, that only ever came out when he was talking to Lily, and very very occasionally when he was talking to Tosh.

She shrugged, " Like I say ... he's an idiot sometimes. "

Owen nodded, " No arguments here," he said, moving towards her and going in for the hug which he knew she needed. As they hugged, Owen rubbed her back in large soothing circles, in the way he always did when he knew she needed comfort.

" Thanks Owen," Lily smiled as they stepped away from each other, and Ianto and Tosh wore the same expression of shock at Owen managing to be so caring.

Lily smiled as she turned to Tosh, " We're still on for going for the dress tomorrow, aren't we? "

" The wedding dress? " Owen asked.

Lily rolled her eyes at him, " Yes Owen. The wedding dress. For the wedding that I'm having in about 2 months. I need to find the perfect dress to wear. "

" You'd look good in a bin liner," Owen told her with a smirk.

Lily smiled, " As much as I appreciate that, I really could do with something to wear. It could take us ages to find it. Jack said he didn't mind me and you going tomorrow, Tosh, which is lucky, because we were going whether he liked it or not. Ianto, you get a repreive from this one. We can probably do dressing shopping without you. "

" Shopping for women's clothes is not a strong point of mine, I'll have to admit," Ianto said, inclining his head towards her.

Lily smiled at him, and sat down at her desk, pulling a few pieces of paper towards herself.

" Oh, by the way, Ianto," she said, without looking up at him, " are you bringing Cate to the wedding? You've been with her a while now .. I mean .. well, we'd just like to know if she's coming. "

" I think she is," nodded Ianto, " and it's been 6 months. I asked her if she wanted to come, and she said she would, but I'm going to have to tell her about the whole time travel thing. I think she's ... I think she's the one, so I'm ... I'm going to tell her. "

" About Torchwood too? " Lily asked.

" Maybe not just yet," Ianto said, " it'll depend how it goes. I really think she's the one though, so it just feels right, to tell her. She's booked Christas Eve off from the pizza place to come to the wedding. "

" Don't the rest of us get to bring a date? " Owen asked her, tutting.

" _You _don't," Lily said, putting her pen down and looking at him, " Ianto's been with Cate ages now. He knows whether it's right to tell her the truth about everything. You, on the other hand, have no girlfriend. We're going back in time, Owen, so we can only take people we trust. We can't just take anyone. If you want to date someone who's already coming to the wedding, then that's fine, but otherwise ... "

" Any fit birds coming then? " Owen asked hopefully.

Lily raised her eyebrow, " Do you want to rephrase that, Doctor Harper? "

Owen rolled his eyes, " Which women are coming to your wedding? " he asked.

Lily smiled, " That's better. There's me, Tosh, Gwen, Donna, Martha, Sarah Jane Smith, Jack's daughter and Ianto's girlfriend. Oh and Shakespeare's wife and teenage daughters. And before you ask, Sarah Jane is well in her fifties, I forbid you to go anywhere near Jack's daughter or Shakespeare's wife. Shakespeare's daughters are 16 and 18 - I'd rather you stay away from them too. Oh, and Ianto's girlfriend is off limits. "

Owen sighed, " And Gwen's married, Martha's engaged. That leaves you, Tosh and Donna. "

" Not me! " Lily pointed out, " it's _my_ bloody wedding! "

Owen looked at Tosh, " Looks like it's me an' you then darlin'. "

Tosh blushed and tried to focus on her computer. She clicked a few things and after a few moments of silence between the lot of them, Tosh frowned,

" I'm detected four or five unusual hon-human life forms in the same location outside the city," she said.

" Really? " Lily asked, standing up, " can you track it down to one place? Owen, Ianto, get your coats on, we're going to investigate. "

She swiftly walked away from them, and into the office.

" You alright? " Jack asked her with a smile.

" Yeah," she smiled, " except Tosh is picking up strange lift energy. Four or five of them all together, all localised in the same place. "

Jack nodded, " Get your coat then," he said, " we'll all have to go. "

" That's what I thought," Lily nodded, taking her trenchcoat from the stand in Jack's office. The pair of them left the office together, and Jack told Tosh that she should come too.

" Where the hell is Gwen? " Jack demanded, as Tosh got together her gadgets ready to go.

" Not here," Lily said, standing in front of Jack, and buttoning up his coat for him, as he was too busy talking over her head to Ianto and Owen. When Lily had finished with his coat, she moved her hands to the lapels, and tugged down, pulling him to her.

He smirked smugly just before their lips met, and their lips met in a long kiss, with Jack slipping his tounge through her lips with ease. She smiled against his lips and laid her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back.

He winked at her and took hold of her hand, before telling everyone else that it was time to get going.

They all got into the SUV, Jack behind the wheel and Lily beside him, and the other three behind them in the back. Tosh gave them the location, and they ended up driving to what looked like an large abandoned building on the outskirts of the city.

The five of them got out and in a line, walked towards the building, looking this way and that carefully. Tosh was still using her devices to figure out what was going on, and Ianto had his phone out, calling Gwen.

He got her voicemail and left her a message, " Gwen, we've texted you the location, we're querying four of five signs of life, definitley non-human. Get here as soon as you can. "

" Sure they're not weevils? " Owen asked, looking at Jack, although it wasn't Jack was answered.

" Don't think so," Tosh said, " different energy patterns, can't make sense of it. Not a species we've encountered before. "

" Well let's hope they're friendly then," Owen muttered.

" Ok," Jack said looking around, " Owen, Ianto, go around the other side of the building, check the upper floors. Lily, Tosh, with me. "

They split into two groups, and hurried off towards where they needed to be. Jack and the two women ran into the building, but then slowled down. They pulled out their guns and moved with caution - it was a big building, but the pillars from the floor to the roof meant they couldn't see everywhere, and had to look around carefully.

They knew anything could be here, and the pillars only obscured their view.

Tosh sighed, " I'm getting mirror readings on both floors. Oh wait ... one creature at either end of this floor and one on the next floor up. "

" Ok, split up," Jack ordered

Tosh ran off to the floor upstairs, and Jack grabbed Lily at the waist and kissed her forehead.

" Be careful," he muttered.

" _You _be careful too," she told him, before they turned away from each oher and walked to opposite sides of the building.

Lily aimed her stun gun carefully, pointing this way and that as she moved - so far she hadn't seen anything, and it seemed no-one else had, since they'd not said anything over the comms.

As she thought that, the comms beeped, and Jack's voice came over, " You know, these creatures are very quiet. "

" Maybe they're sleeping," Owen replied, for all of them to hear.

" Or hatching," Ianto countered.

" Or maybe they're not creatures at all," Tosh said.

Lily moved around a corner and her eyes widened as she saw a little silver box sitting on the floor. Her heart sank as she realised how much trouble they were in, and it seemed Jack had found out the problem too,

" Just explosive devices," he said.

The countdown was on 3 seconds, and Lily knew there was nothing she could do about it. Images went through her mind of one of her friends dying, and Jack being blown to pieces, and the next thing she knew, there was a loud explosion.

All she felt was pain as rubble fell around her and the last thing she knew before her eyes were closed, was the rubble falling on _her_.

All Lily saw was blackness, and it felt so cold and lonely. She had vague images in her head of Jack being stuck under a pile of rubble, and never being saved from it. Of going through the rest of her life without Jack. Then the rest of her friends wouldn't be safe - maybe some of them had died in this explosion. The dreams floated through her head, not real dreams but vague images.

She didn't know how long it was before she heard voices - real voices - and felt immense pain all over her body. Her eyes couldn't quite find the strength to open, but she felt large weights being lifted off her and heard voices.

" Why isn't she awake? " she heard Jack ask, panicking, " what's wrong with her? What if she doesn't wake up? Oh my God, I can't ... Gwen, I can't live without her. What will I do? look at her - there's blood! " Jack said, his voice cracking, " she's being crushed to death! " "

" Calm down," Gwen said, " she's fine. She probably just passed out. She's got a pulse. She's _alive._ "

" But look at her! " Jack said, sounding like he was about to cry.

Lily heard Jack groan as he did something - probably attempt to move one of the many rocks she felt above her - and he was muttering to himself about not letting Lily die. She hated the thought of him panicking like that, and she tried her hardest to open her eyes.

Her eyes flickered and the first thing was saw was Jack throwing the rubble aside, looking very tense as he tried to keep himself pulled together. Gwen was nearby, and she was moving some of the rubble aside too.

" J ... Jack," Lily muttered, focusing on him.

Jack whipped around and looked at her, " Oh thank God," he said, smiling in relief as he saw her. " Baby, are you alright? God, I thought I'd lost you. Sweetheart, I'm going to get you out of here, alright, you hear me? Just give us two minutes. "

As Gwen and Jack tried to pull the rubble off her, as did Rhys, who must have been giving Gwen a lift to work when she got the message - she groaned in pain.

" Shhh baby, shhhh," Jack said in a hushed voice, " we'll have you out soon. " He looked at Gwen and Rhys and told them, " I can handle it from here. Find Toshiko - she went to the next floor up. We'll find the boys. "

Gwen and Rhys headed off, and Lily hissed as Jack tried to move another rock, and within a few minutes, Jack was wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to her feet.

She winced and gave a hiss of pain as he pulled her into a tight hug, and he immediatley withdrew.

He put his hands on her shoulders looking worried and looked her up and down, " What's wrong? Lily? Are you alright? "

" Stop panicking Jack," she said, shaking her head, " I know how much you care, and I really love that you're so protective, but I'm here aren't I? I'm fine. I think I might have just bruised a rib or something. It'll be fine. I'm lucky. "

" Ooh, my poor Lily," Jack said moving closer to her and gently kissing the top of her head, " you should see the state of yourself. I just want to take you home and look after you. "

" Why, what's the damage? " Lily asked, " other than the dirt and bruises, I assume? "

" Your head," Jack said, reaching out and smoothing her hair down, " it's ... you've got a pretty nasty cut. There's ... well, it dry now ... but there's blood in your hair, and ... " he traced a line down her cheek with his finger, " down your face. "

Lily took his hand away from her face and kissed the back of it softly, " I know how much you worry, kitten, but you don't need to. I love you too much to go anywhere. And what about the damage to you. You look a bit dishevelled, but ... "

" I died. "

" Oh, I'm sorry Jack," Lily sighed, " we're a right pair, aren't we? "

Jack awarded her with half of a smile, and reached out to hug her again, though this time it was gentle and he tried not to press her to him too much, for fear of hurting her.

Lily kissed his cheek and told him, " Come on. We need to find the boys. One of them could be in an even worse state than me. We need to get there quickly. "

They ran off and on their way, Gwen phoned Jack to tell him they needed help getiing Tosh out - she was close to be crushed. The first of their friends they came across was Ianto. Ianto was, much like Lily had been, buried uner a pile of rubble.

" Ianto," Lily called as she and Jack ran over, " Ianto, it's ok, we're here. "

Lily and Jack worked quickly, and tclawed at the rubble, trying to get rid of it all. Lily ignored the pain from her ribs, and worked just as hard as Jack.

" Ok, I'm going to get you now," Jack said to Ianto, " is that alright? "

Ianto nodded.

" Good boy," Jack said soothingly, putting his arms around Ianto and getting ready to pull him out, " ready? One, two, three ... "

Ianto screamed in pain as Jack pulled him out, with Lily's help. Jack set him back on his feet, and Ianto panted and pulled a face.

" You ok? " Jack asked.

" My shoulder," Ianto said, shaking his head, " I think it's dislocated. "

Jack looked at him, " Let me see if I can sort it out. Do you think you can handle this? "

" Yeah," Ianto said, " I ... I think so. "

Lily felt sorry for him and couldn't stand ot see one of her friends in pain. She moved over to him and offered out her hand, " Come on then," she said, " you can hold my hand if you want. "

" He's not a child, Lily," Jack said, rolling his eyes, and wondering when Lily had become so mumsy.

Lily shrugged, " Thought he might want some comfort. " As Jack got ready to pop Ianto's shoulder back in, Lily gently laid her hand on Ianto's back

" Take a deep breath," Jack advised him.

Ianto screamed as the bones crunched and Jack popped his shoulder back into place, and Lily rubbed his back, muttering soothing words.

" Where are the others? " Ianto asked, suddenly becoming himself - straight back to work.

" We need your help to get Toshiko out," Jack told Ianto.

" And Owen? " Ianto asked.

" I'm going to find him now," Lily said.

Ianto pulled a face, " If anything happens, he can't repair himself, you know. "

" I know," Lily said, swallowing, hard, " he can't heal. I'll find him. You two just go get Tosh out. "

" Be careful," Jack called as she headed off.

" You be careful," she shouted over her shoulder.

Lily ran through the building and when she found Owen, she couldn't believe where he was. He saw laid flat on his back, under little bits of rubble, but thankfully not too much. He looked absolutely terrified, and Lily saw that above him, a huge chunk of glass, broken and jagged, was hanging, swinging slightly.

" Lily," Owen breathed when he saw her.

" Shhh, it's going to be alright," Lily said as she approached.

" Jesus Christ, look at the state of you," Owen said as she knelt beside him, wincing. He noticed the wince and asked, " what's wrong with you? "

" Other than the face full of blood, you mean? " she grimaced, " ribs. Think I must have bruised one or something. You'll have to check it out when we get back. But never mind me now ... "

" How are the others? " Owen asked her.

" Everyone's fine," Lily assured him, carefully moving some blocks, throwing up the odd glance to the glass, which she knew would absolutely crush Owen if it fell. Lily quickly worked to throw off all of the rubble and bricks, and once she had, she held out both of her hands,

" Come on," she said, " quickly. "

Owen took hold of both of her hands and she quickly hauled him out of the way, feeling thankful that he was only a skinny little thing.

They'd only just gotten out of the way when the glass fel and shattered over the floor.

" Thanks," Owen said offering her half a smile, " that was ... well, just in the nick of time."

" Never mind that," Lily said, " let's just get out of here before anything else happens. "

By the time they'd hurried out of the building, they met Gwen, Rhys, Tosh, Jack and Ianto downstairs, just outside the building. Everyone spent a minute or so asking everyone else if they were alright, and they started around the corner and away from the building.

" You OK, Tosh? " Lily asked.

Owen looked at her, and Lily didn't miss the concern there. " What happened, Tosh? "

Tosh sighed walking with her arm in front of her limply, " Broken arm, bruised ribs, about an inch away from being crushed by a girder. "

" You were lucky," Owen said, wincing at the thought of it.

" We all were," Ianto said.

" Jack, who's done this? " Gwen asked, looking around at everyone.

" And where the hell's the SUV? " lily asked, as they rounded another corner and realised that their vehicle wasn't there - somehow, this didn't seem like a coincidence - they were attacked by bombs, and then their car was stolen.

Jakc didn't have time to reply, as his wriststrap beeped, and before anyone knew it, a hologram was appearing from it.

Lily sighed, " Oh, no," she said, shaking her head as she thought about it. The last time Captain John Hart had appeared had been nothing but trouble - not to mention the fact that he was her boyfriend's ex-boyfriend.

" What does he want? " Gwen asked, as the hologrom of John Hart formed properly.

" Oh deja vu! " hologram John said, " or did I say that already? Hey team! Course, there might be less of you by now. Don't know if you liked my little gift, Jack. Though of course you can't die. And with all that life, all that time, you can't spare any for me. Oh! Say hi to the family! "

Hologram John pressed a button on his own wriststrap, and hologram of a young man appeared from that. Jack's breath hitched and Lily looked at him sharply, trying to work out what was going on.

" No ... it can't be," Jack said, as Lily moved closer to him.

" Been a long time since you've seen your brother, eh? " John asked.

" Gray," Jack breathed.

Lily stared at Jack, and then back to the hologram of his brother - she knew about his brother. He'd told her one night when the were in deep conversation, and they'd spoken about him since but not much, because Lily knew it was a topic which pained Jack.

She knew that anything involving John Hart had to be a bad thing, and she didn't trust him one bit. All she could think about, was how John had only come back to hurt her Jack, and no-one was allowed to hurt Jack.

Hologram John continued, " OK, here's what's going to happen. Everything you love, everything you treasure, will die. I'm going to tear your world apart, Captain Jack Harkness, piece by piece, including your lovely little girlfriend. Starting now. Maybe now you'll want to spend some time with me. "

The hologram went off and no-one knew quite what to do next.


	22. Exit Wounds

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Author's Note: I've messed with a lot of detail in this, particularly swapped Gwen's quite large role in this for Lily's, and the big changing around near the end. **

Chapter Twenty-Two

_Hologram John continued, " OK, here's what's going to happen. Everything you love, everything you treasure, will die. I'm going to tear your world apart, Captain Jack Harkness, piece by piece, including your lovely little girlfriend. Starting now. Maybe now you'll want to spend some time with me. "_

" We'll have to take your car," Jack said, trying to remain calm, and adressing Rhys.

Rhys didn't look too pleased at the idea, but he glanced at Gwen who nodded, and then sighed, also nodding.

They started towards the car, and as they did so, Owen wrapped an arm around Tosh's shoulders and supported her while they walked. It wasn't long before Lily winced in pain and tried to keep the expression from her face, because she didn't want to worry Jack.

Jack always seemed to know what was going on, and he slid his arm around her waist in comfort and planted a kiss on her temple,

" It's going to be ok, baby," he told her.

" No it's not," she said, as they all stopped by Rhys's car, " John's an evil man, and you heard what he said. He's going to rip your life apart. Everything you love. That means _me_ too. He's going to ... "

" No," Jack said sharply, " because I'm not going to let him. " He looked at her, and brushed some of her hair away from her face, " look at what he's already done to you. Him and his damned bombs. We've been through much worse, and we'll get through this. I promise you. "

Lily rolled her eyes - somehow she had a feeling that this wasn't going to be alright, and she couldn't find the words to tell Jack that.

" Hey, look at me," Jack ordered.

She didn't.

" Look at me," he repeated sharply, which she did this time, and he softened his tone instantly, " baby, I love you, and you know I'd never let anything hurt you. When have I ever let you down? "

Lily smiled, " I know. I know you love me. We'll ... we'll be fine, won't we? "

Jack kissed her cheek and turned his attention back to everyone else.

" I can't believe this," Owen fumed, shaking his head, " bastard John's nicked the SUV! "

" Looks like he's taken it back to Torchwood," said Ianto, looking down at the little tracking device he had.

Tosh, too, was working on using her little gadgets, while Owen was rooting through his backpack for his medical kit, and Gwen was taking a phonecall.

" I'm getting readings of rift activity all over the city," said Tosh, " major rift flares at St Helen's Hosptial, the Police Headquarters and the Central IT Server Station. "

Gwen closed her phone and told Jack, " That was Andy. Said they're having problems - they need someone there right now. " She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, " This is all him, isn't it? Captain John, or whatever he likes to call himself. "

" Here's what we're doing," Jack said, " Rhys, drop Owen off at the hospital, Gwen and Tosh cover the central server building, Ianto and Lily the police station. Then take me to Torchwood. "

" But _I _know the officers at the police station," Gwen said, " shouldn't I go there? "

" No," Jack said firmly, " I need Lily somewhere safe, and for once, that's not with me. She's going to be one of the biggest targets in whatever he's got planned, and he'd expect her to be with me. If she goes to the police station, she's surrounded by people. The more people the better. And Ianto's probably the best protection she could have out of the lot of us, if I'm not around. "

" Ianto's the best protection for her? " Owen echoed, " what about _me? "_

" Owen, you're dead. You don't heal," Jack pointed out, " besides, I need you at the hospital. "

Owen nodded, " So what you're saying is, out of Tosh, Gwen and Ianto, Ianto's the best protection? "

Jack rolled his eyes and looked at Lily, " It's time you started carrying a proper gun," he told her, " this is serious. He'll kill you if he gets the chance - I know you don't like guns, but you need one. "

" I won't kill someone Jack - there's always another option. I spent 200 years travelling around with my dad, and it's just how i am. There's always a choice - I will not carry a gun. "

" Please, Lily," Jack pleaded, pulling his gun out and holding it out to her.

" Jack! " Lily hissed, taking a step backwards, " I know you want to look after me, but I won't do it. It's ... it's wrong. I've seen loads of death, and I won't be the cause of it. "

" It's not wrong, if they're trying to kill you," Jack pointed out.

" Jack," she said stubbornly.

" Fine. We don't have time for all this messing about," Jack said, before looking at everyone else, " I've decided what we're doing and it's final. Now everyone get in the car. "

" You think we're all going to fit? " Rhys asked, " there's seven of us! "

" We don't have a choice," Jack said, " we are going to have to fit. "

" Jack," Tosh said carefully, as they started to get into the car, " these are traps. "

" I know," Jack said, " so be careful. You know what he's capable of. "

" What about you? " Lily asked, as Gwen got into the passenger seat of the car.

" I'm going to reason with him," Jack said calmly.

" He just tried to kill us! " Owen pointed out.

" I was the only one who could ever control him," Jack told everyone, trying to put them at ease, " that's why the time agency partnered us together. I need to get to him. "

" Time Agency? " Rhys asked, " don't tell me that's based in Cardiff too? "

Jack rolled his eyes and got into the car.

Gwen and Rhys were in the front, with Jack, Tosh, Ianto and Owen squeezed up together in the back, and no room for Lily, so she ended up sitting on Jack's knee - it was cramped and there wasn't really enough room for all of them, but it would have to do.

Owen made sure he gave Tosh plenty of painkillers from his rucksack for both the arm and ribs, and gave Lily a few too. He also got out the anti-septic wipes and gave them to Jack.

As the car moved, Lily tried to shift herself in Jack's lap so he could wipe her face, and he tried to wipe up Lily's face as best he could.

His hand gently moved down her face, and once he was satisfied that she was cleaned up, he kissed her cheek.

The police office was the first stop, and Lily got out, followed by Jack, who'd moved to let Ianto out. Jack looked at the pair of them, and pulled Lily into a warm hug.

" Be careful," he told her, " I need you to look after yourself, and I'll see you soon. "

Lily couldn't shake off the bad feeling, and she hugged Jack with an urgency that wasn't usually there. " I don't want you to go on your own," she told him, " John's dangerous - if you're on your own, anything could happen. "

" I've got to do this," Jack said, not letting go of her.

" Always so brave and noble," Lily sighed, clinging to him.

" We'll be fine," Jack said, " I promise you. "

" You're the best thing that ever happened to me," she told him as they broke apart.

" I love you," Jack said, kissing her lips briefly, before turning and embracing Ianto. As he clapped a hand to Ianto's back, he took the chance to mutter in his ear without Lily noticing.

It was evening now - half past five, and Lily knew it was going to be a long night. She watched Rhys's car drive away and once the car which carried Jack was no longer in sight, she turned to face the police station, suddenly trying to be business like and professional, though the thought of what loomed ahead was inwardly tearing her apart.

The pair of them walked into the police station, and the first thing they noticed as they walked through the first set of double doors, were police jogging down the stairs, and a corpse on the steps, covered in blood.

Down the hall, there were two more blood covered bodies, and scene of crime officers were taking photographs.

" You two can't come around here," one police officer told them.

" We're Torchwood," Lily said.

" It's OK, they are," another police officer said, rounding the corner and approaching them. Lily vaguely recognised him as Gwen's friend PC Andy, though neither she nor Ianto knew him very well.

" Gwen not around? " Andy asked, looking slightly disappointed to have ended up with the Captain's girlfriend. Torchwood had quite a reputation around the police station, and almost all the police officers knew who they were - although they thought they were a special ops division. Everyone knew that Captain Harkness was not to be messed with - it was very common for Torchwood to come in, and Harkness to declare it was now Torchwood's case. The police were sometimes fed up with Torchwood swanning in and taking over, and they thought Harkness's girlfriend was no better.

" Gwen's had to rush off and do something else," Lily replied calmly, " we're quite busy right now. What's going on here? "

Andy shook his head, " They just appeared out of no-where, across the whole building. They weren't human. Or at least, not like any human I've ever seen. The whole stations's in shock. Four most senior officers, murdered. Everyone's running around like headless chickens. "

" What have you done with the creatures? " Lily asked.

" We've contained them to one cell," Andy said.

" We need to see them," Lily told him.

Andy led them down to the cells, and as they walked, Lily tried to keep her mind focused. All she could think about was Jack, and what might be happening to him, with John. And then what John might do when he found her.

Once they were at the cells, Lily slid open the little slot and looked through the peep hole.

She was suprised to see several weevils in the same cell - they were bouncing off the walls, and all snarling and growling. When she thought about it, it made sense due to the injuries downstairs, but weevils shouldn't be here - not like this.

" What are they? " Andy asked.

" Weevils," Lily said, seeing no harm in telling him, " they live in the sewers. "

" Bloody hell," he breathed, " tell me you're joking? "

" Sorry, no," Lily said, patting down her pockets - which held many many things - and she pulled out a small can of weevil spray. She pulled the top off and threw it through the hatch of the cell, where it hissed and released smoke. " There," she said, satisfied, " that'll subdue them a bit. "

" Killed four most senior officers," Andy repeated, " like it was targeted. "

Lily nodded, " I'm just going check in on the rest of the team," she said, looking at Ianto.

Andy looked puzzled, " I thought the Captain was in charge? "

" He likes to think so," Lily shrugged, before smiling and telling him, " no, he _is _in charge, but he's occupied right now. "

She took a few steps away from Andy and touched her comms - they were already switched on and she knew if she spoke, they'd all be able to hear it - sometimes it was useful to have these, so everyone could communicate together.

" Tosh, Gwen, report where you are," Lily said.

" Just entering the Central Server," came Tosh's reply, " no sign of rift activity yet. "

" Ok, let me know what's going on, won't you? " Lily said, before switching the conversation, " Owen, do you have anything to report? "

" We've had some activity in the basement," Owen replied, " Oh, you won't believe what I came across in the basement. I found a Hoix. Sedated it now, but ... oh, what's John playing at? "

" It's no better here," Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair, " weevils all over the police station. Killed senior officers and everything. "

Tosh's voice came over the comms, and she said, " We've had a problem here. "

" What's going on, Tosh? " Lily asked.

It was Gwen who answered, " We got into the Central Server, and there were these three guys in monk robes and carrying reapers. And they had these spooky voices, and they were condemning us to hell, and ... "

" Have you taken care of them? " Lily asked, cutting across Gwen's rambling.

" They're dead," Gwen replied.

Lily rolled her eyes - she hadn't quite meant death, but she didn't tell her as such. " OK, is everyone alright? " she asked calmly.

When everyone replied that they were fine, Lily nodded, " Good," she said, " just keep on investigating, and let me know what you find out. "

" Any news from Jack? " Owen asked her.

Lily took a moment to answer, and she tried not to think about it, " I haven't heard from him," she said, " He's probably too busy to get in touch. He's ... he's busy. "

Ianto laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, and it just sounded like she was trying to convince herself. She smiled a little and tried to eep her spirits up.

" Yeah," Owen replied, " he's busy. "

Lily cleared her throat, " So," she said, " we need to keep investigating, and let me know anything you find out. I'll ... we'll check in with you later. "

The connection ended, and Lily sighed - why were there so many emergencies in her life, she wondered. She gave Ianto a brief smile and he dropped his hand from her shoulder - the pair of them turned back to Andy, who carried on telling them what had been happening around the station, and of some reports they were getting in.

They'd been at the police station almost an hour, when the comms beeped, and and entirely new voice came over the transmission.

" Attention Torchwood employees! Evening all ... now stop what you're doing. "

A shiver went through Lily, and she hated the very sound of John's voice. Panic coursed through her, and it was a panic so numbing that she could barely move.

" Jack! " Lily shouted in response, forgetting about everything else, " are you there? Are you OK? What's going on? "

" Jack can't come to the comms right now," John sneered, " but if you leave a message, I'll be sure to pass it along. "

" You tell me what you've done to him," Lily said, her breathing becoming deeper as she struggled to keep herself together, " tell me what you've done to him? W-w-what have you done to Jack? "

Ianto immediately reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder, standing behind her in comfort, and although Lily appreciated it, the comfort meant little right now.

" No, no, no, wrong question," John said, " You should be asking "what am I about to do to you?" "

" To ... to me? " Lily asked, her mind flashing back as she started to think about the last person who'd made similar threats - the Master. She had no idea what was going to happen, and she didn't want to find out.

" Put Jack on right now! " Ianto commanded, in a much darker voice than Lily had ever heard him use, as his grip on her shoulder tightened.

" Eye Candy! " John laughed, " that was so masterful, so bossy, so basically powerless. Everyone get to the roofs of your buildings. Quickly now. "

" Why? " Owen's voice floated through the comms.

" Cos if you don't, you'll miss all the fun," John replied, " hold on a minute, do I mean for, or do I mean carnage? I always get those two mixed up. Are you running yet? No dawdling now! "

Lily turned and ran as fast as she could, heading towards the roof. All kinds of things were racing through her mind, and she didn't know what to do, but all she could do was follow the instruction she was given, and find out what was going on. She'd been with Jack for so long now, that she wasn't sure how to function without him, and she didn't know what she'd do if she didn't have him around - all she knew was Jack, and now she knew she had to save him.

" Where are you going? " Andy called after her.

Lily heard foot steps behind her, and knew Ianto was running too. They didn't speak, and only focused on running. Once they got onto the roof, nothing was there unusual - it was dark, and Lily watched in anticipation, waiting.

Then all of a sudden it happened.

About ten explosions set off all across the city, within seconds of each other, and Lily staggered backwards from the sheer force of it. She turned to stare at Ianto, and he looked back at her grimly.

" You've destroyed the city! " Lily cried, shaking her head. She turned away from the carnage and saw that Andy had followed them up, and was watching it all too.

John laughed, " And wasn't it so pretty? "

" Oh my God," Andy said.

" This is a disaster," Ianto said, shaking his head.

" Oh my God, oh my God," Andy breathed, " what do we do? "

John's violent actions, and whatever he'd done to Jack, changed Lily, and she decided there and then, that they were going to fight this with all they had, and she was going to lead the fight.

Ianto had expected Lily to fall to pieces, but he then told himself he should have known better - she was a strong woman, and she was intelligent and sensible.

Lily turned to Andy, " OK, keep everyone calm, tell them to get every officer in the area together, and for God's sake, run! "

When Andy had run off, Lily turned to look at Ianto, and her eyes swept up and down his body, as if inspecting for any damage. " You're alright, aren't you? " she asked him.

He nodded silently, and she tried the comms again,

" Jack! " she shouted desperately, as they stood on the roof and watched the chaos evolve in the city, " Jack? Jack, can you hear me? Jack, we need you! Are you there? "

She sighed in desperation as she realised nothing was happening, and Jack couldn't hear them, and she knew it was a lost cause. Tosh's voice came over the comms, and she said,

" I'm tracking a huge rift flare over at the castle. It's been generated by the rift manipulator at Torchwood. "

Lily sighed, " Right, Gwen, Tosh, Owen, are you all alright? "

" Yeah we're fine," Tosh answered.

" Still here," Gwen added.

" Me too," Owen piped up.

" Good, OK, good," Lily said, " Tosh, do we have a scale of the damage on the city? "

" 15 major explosions," Tosh replied, " at strategic points across the city. There's currently a surge in traffic trying to leave the city, but the explosions have cut off all the major routes in and out. Landlines, mobile phones, and IT networks all down, TV and radio off air. He's crippled us, Lily. "

" Bugger," Lily sighed,

" And," Gwen added, " I don't mean to be the bringer of doom, but the systems which serve the Turnmill nuclear stations have all gone off line. "

" Right," Lily said, taking everything in her stride, " Tosh, Gwen, you have to stabilise the nuclear power station. Make that a priority. Owen, what's it like at the hospital? "

" Lost all power," Owen replied, " the backup generator gave out in the blast. Every single mahcine in this hospital is down - it's a disaster. "

" Ok, everyone listen to me," Lily said, trying to muster up some authority, " we're gonna fix this, and we're gonna do it for Jack. We're going to put this city back together, we're going to find ... to find Jack, and we're going to punish John. Everyone needs to be careful, and make sure you stay in touch with me. "

The connection ended, and Ianto nodded at Lily,

" Well done," he told her.

She shook her head, looking out across the city, the wind pulling at her hair as she thought about it. She didn't know what to do now, and as soon as she'd stopped being in control and giving the orders, she felt like she was ready to fall apart.

Ianto watched her, and wondered how she could possibly be so strong and brave one moment, putting on the front for everyone else, when she was really crumbling to pieces inside.

Her eyes filled with tears which she quickly blinked away, and she looked across the city before slowly turning back to Ianto.

" I lost him once," she told him, " I won't lose him again. "

" You don't have to," Ianto told her.

Lily nodded and took a deep breath, and then it was back to business. She and Ianto started back towards to main station.

Down in the station it was chaos, with people running around everywhere, and officers talking loudly, trying to work out what was going on, and what they should do next.

" Everybody listen up," Lily said, moving through the crowds and shouting for quiet - she earned it quite quickly, and she turned to Andy, " Get everyone to gather in the entrance hall," she said, " I need to talk to everyone. Just a quick word. "

Andy nodded and soon, the people were all gathered in a large group in the entrance hall, awaiting whatever was going to happen next. Ianto stood at the edge of the crowd, at the front, as Lily stood in front of everyone.

" Ok everyone," Lily said, looking across everyone, " my name's Lily ... Lily Harkness. "

She'd been using Jack's surname since she lost him on Satellite 5 to the Daleks, because she wanted to honour him, and once they found each other, Jack told her she was more than welcome to his name.

" I'm from special ops," she continued, " and I'm here to talk about what's going on in the city - you all know what's happened, and we need to deal with it effectively. This was a targeted attack, designed to cause maximum panic. Usual emergency procedures won't cover this, believe me. This is where we find out how good we really are at our jobs. "

The officers exchanged looks, and Ianto smiled briefly at the way she managed to take care everything despite how she was feeling.

Lily continued, " I want you to cover the whole city, knock on doors, check on people, tell people they are safe and that it is being dealt with. Get out there and do your jobs. "

She then set about telling different people to do different jobs, and she and Ianto spent hours taking calls from people who called up panicking, talking to people who came in off the street, panicking, and making sure the other officers were clear on what to do.

Ianto checked his watch - it was 9pm. He and Lily had been in the police station for three and a half hours now, and he realised Lily had disappeared to go to the toilet over half an hour ago.

He sighed, remembering Jack's demand that he take care of her, and went to find her. It didn't take long, and saw her through the window of an empty office. She was stood, looking out of the window, with her back to the door.

He quietly pushed open the door and she must have known it was him because she didn' turn around - she didn't move.

Ianto had come to consider Lily a good friend, and made his way over to her,

" Not hiding, are you? " he asked her.

" No word from Jack yet," Lily said, ignoring his question and slowly opening her eyes, though she didn't look at him, and only stared out of the window, " it's been almost four hours since I last saw him. About three hours since we knew he'd gone missing. That's a long time, Ianto. "

" Hey, it's going to be fine," Ianto told her, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking out of the window alongside her, throwing her a sidways glance.

" What if it's not? " Lily asked, turning to face him, " what if this is how it all ends. Time's all relative, Ianto - it can change at any moment. 21st century is when it all changes, doesn't Jack always say so? And I can't get hold of my dad - even my super phone's not working. No Jack, no Dad, so I'm left to look after everything. And I'm not up to it. "

" Rubbish," Ianto said, also turning to face her, " you've kept everything under control, you've given everyone the orders. Even if _you _think you can't do it, they do. And I do. And Jack does. Just remember, we're going this for Jack, and when it's all over and done with, you'll be getting married to him. You can't give up, Lily, because we need you. "

Lily smiled a little at him and shook her head, " You know," she said, a mischevious look on her face, " if you ever split up with your new girlfriend, and I get sick of Jack ... I reckon me and you'd be alright together. "

Ianto cleared his throat and said in a his usual smooth calm voice," Then it's a good job you'll never get sick of Jack, and I'm not planning on splitting up with Cate, isn't it? "

Lily smiled and the comms beeped.

" Lily," Tosh said, " I've got a rift alert from inside the hub, mirroring the patterns from earlier, when Jack disappeared. "

" Do you think it could be him? " asked Lily, a large amount of hope in her voice.

" I can't check it out," Tosh said, " not without getting down there and having a look, and Gwen and I need to get the servers here back online. "

" I'm on my way now," Lily said, starting towards the door, and looking at Ianto, who followed her.

She and Ianto hurried out of the police station, and without the use of a car, and because the roads were so blocked up, they ran as fast as they could through the streets.

They didn't have time to talk to each other, and Lily was determined that they were going to get this right. They stopped in the tourist office, and prepared themseves.

Ianto pulled out his gun, and Lily searched her pockets before realising she'd somehow managed to lose her stun gun. Ianto sighed, " You ca't go in without a weapon," he told her, " I know you hate them but ... "

" No," Lily said, pausing as a new revelation hit her - John could have hurt Jack. Could have done anything to him. And Jack was Lily's entire world - why shouldn't she hurt the person who took Jack away from her? " John Hart deserves everything that comes to him. I'll ... I'll have a gun. "

" You sure? " Ianto asked, though he was already in the safe underneath the desk of the tourist office. He turned around and gave her a gun, and she esitated before taking it from him.

Once it was in her hand, a strange rush of power came over her, and she knew it was time to go sort everything out once and for all. No-one was allowed to do anything to Jack and get away with it.

" Come on," Lily said, leading the way down the corridor.

Once she and Ianto got through the cog door, they raised their guns and covered all angle as they walked forwards into the hub, scanning everywhere they could with their eyes.

" You took your time," came John's voice from behind them.

Both Lily and Ianto spun around, and while Ianto aimed the gun at him, Lily wasn't feeling anywhere near as calm and seeing John's smirking face made her see red.

She launched herself forwards, forgetting all about the gun in her pocket, and hit him with such unexpected force that he staggering backwards, and while he was nursing his jaw, Lily went for the second punsh, this one sending him sprawling across the floor.

She threw herself down beside him and the anger took over - she'd never been this angry in her life, and she was determined to take it all out on him.

" Tell me what you've done to Jack," she said, as he struggled and tried to get up, though she asn't having it. She screamed at him to stay down, and clambered on top of him, where he lay on the ground, hanging over him.

John said nothing.

" Tell me! " Lily shouted, swinging her arm back and landing another solid blow to his face.

Ianto watched, shocked at her actions as he'd never seen anything like it from her, but understanding why she was hell bet on beating John Hart to a pulp. He had to admit her handywork, as John's lip was bleeding, and he had a big line down his face where she must have scratched him.

" Ok, ok darling," Ianto said, feeling like he needed to intervene. He reahed down, and tried to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her away. By now, she'd lost the energy to batter John, and was more interested in knowing where Jack was. Ianto pulled her to her feet, and she turned her back on John, who stood up while he had the chance.

It took Lily seconds to cool down, and her mood changed all at once - she no longer wanted to beat John, but she wanted to know where Jack was, she was determined.

" Get down on your knees," Lily ordered, her voice cold and hard, as she pulled out her gun, and Ianto kept a close eye on her - he understood, but didn't think it was healthy - he didn't want her to get carried away.

" Honestly," scoffed John, " It's just sex, sex, sex with you people. " He touched his lip and groaned, " who would have thought Jack's sweet and lovely girlfriend would be so violent? Must be Jack's influence rubbing off on you, mustn't it? "

Lily glared at him and pumped the gun, " Now! "

John shrugged and got on his knees, slow and casual.

He was looking at her hands, closed around the gun, and he raised his eyebrows, " Wedding ring? " he asked, meeting her eyes " he did _not _marry you? He didn't mention it. "

" Engagement ring," Lily said, " not that it's any of your business, because you won't be invited to the wedding. "

" He actually asked you to marry him? " John scoffed, " that's not like him. You must _really _be something ... I wouldn't mind trying you out myself sometimes. "

" You're going to have to give me a really good reason not to shoot you within the next ten seconds," Lily said, as Ianto also pointed his gun at him.

" Fine," John sighed, holding his hands up, " I know where Jack is. "

" You're lying," Ianto said, while Lily hesitated.

" He's buried alive somewhere beneath the city," John told them, " I came back to help you. "

" You're lying," Lily said, agreeing with Ianto, though she wanted to know what John was about to tell them, " you've blown up the city! Do you honestly expect us to believe anything you say? "

" Listen to me! " John said, desperation creeping into his voice, " you have to believe me. It's Gray. Jack's brother. He's being doing all this. He placed a bomb on me, molecularly bonded the detonator to my skin. I had to do what he wanted. "

He got to his feet, and Lily lowered her gun, letting him. She didn't trust him, but decided that she'd put up with him - he couldn't do anything while she and Ianto were both here.

" Please," he said, looking at her, and then Ianto, " you have to hear me out. He forced me to bury Jack and then he freed me, he told me I could go anywhere I wanted. I could've run, but I came back here. "

Lily looked at him.

John added, " I know how much you love Jack, and I care about him too, which is why you have to listen to me. I want to help him. Jack means a lot to me. "

" Don't you _dare _tell me what he means to you! " Lily shouted, suddenly snapping, " you're nothing to him. He doesn't need you - he's got me! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have a problem here. "

" It was Gray, I keep telling you! " John said, shouting louder than her, and taking a step closer to her.

" Oi! " Ianto shouted, grabbing John's arm and pulling him away from Lily, " don't you shout at her - it's your fault she might lose her fiance! If we don't find Jack, I will kill you myself, and I'll do it slowly and painfully. "

" It was Gray - why won't you people listen? " John asked, rolling his eyes.

" And who did his dirty work? " Ianto demanded, shoving John in the chest and making him fall back a few steps.

" I didn't have a choice," John said, looking between them.

" You always have a choice! " Lily told him angrily, " you could have chosen not to come back here all those months ago, and you could have chosen not to hang around with Gray. And you could have chosen not to tell Gray about Jack being in Cardiff! In fact, you could have chosen to stay away from Jack in the first place! He'd have been so much better off if you'd never been in his life! Oh, you make me so mad, I could kill you. You're lucky that finding Jack comes higher my priority list than killing you. I can kill you afterwards. "

" Do what you want afterwards," John shrugged, " but you need me to help. "

Lily threw him a dirty look and looked at Ianto.

" What do we do? " she asked him, " we can't trust him, but we might need him. _If _he's telling us the truth. "

Ianto glared at John, and then said to Lily, " I suppose we need him. For now. But if he puts one step wrong ... "

Lily was weighing up whether she could trust him, and although she didn't want to, she couldn't imagine him making it all up - he was the sort of man to boast about his achievements, and why would he want to hurt Jack so much, anyway? She knew they didn't have much of a choice, and looked at John. In fact, she knew they didn't have a choice at all.

" Tell me more," she said, " you say he's buried under the bloody city? How ... what ... what? "

John nodded, " Jack and his brother were seperated as children. Gray was abducted. When I found him he was chained to the ruins of a city on the old Bedlam Outlands ... surrounded by corpses. He was the only one left, and the creatures had long gone. Dunno how long he'd been there. He thought I was his rescuing hero. So it took me too long to realise he'd learned terrible things, watching those creatures. He let me trust him ... " John groaned in pain and shook his head, " the molecules are unbonding. Just like he said. "

Lily watched in horror as John unfastened his wrist strap, and sticky, squishy noises occured. The wriststrap came off, sort of, but it pulled off a lot of skin. " Oh god," John moaned, pulled the last of it off, and pulling a face. He took a deep breath and held his hands out, " See? Free man. Apparently. I _could _have run away, but I came back to help you. "

Lily nodded, " Fine," she said briskly, " find Jack. And you'd better me quick. "

John smirked, " Maybe you'd repay me in kind? " he asked, his eyes settling on her lips, " maybe I could find out why Jack's so attracted to you. "

" Don't push your luck," Ianto said, stepping closer to John.

Lily folded her arms over her chest, " I'll repay you by letting you live. "

" Fine. " John crossed the hub and went over to the comms system, which he seemed to have meddled with, and spoke over it, " Toshiko, I need you to run a trace for an etheric particle signal NME, transmitting at 200 betacycles. "

" Lily, where are you? " Tosh replied, shocked, " what's he doing? Where's Jack? "

" Trace that signal, we'll find Jack," John said.

" It's ok Tosh," Ianto told Tosh, while Lily considered what John was saying and imagined finding Jack, getting rid of his evil brother, and being happy again, " we've got him covered. "

" Well it's no good," Tosh said, " there's no signals even vaguely representing that. "

" You better not be messing us about," Lily told John, glaring.

" I'm not," he said, shaking his head, " Toshiko, there must be those signals. That transmitter was guarenteed for five millennia through three ecological permalayers - it has to be still transmitting. If not, we'll never find him. "

Before Lily could respond to this, a loud, high pitched, piercing tone sounded, like some sort of alarm. Lily flinched and all three clamped their hands over their ears, though it had little effect.

" What the hell is that? " John asked.

Lily looked around the hub and ran to the security monitors. Most looked normal, but then she looked at the one of the holding cells. The weevils down there had been let loose,

Lily looked over her shoulder at Ianto, " There's weevils on the loose in the lower corridors. " She watched more and more weevils escape, and sighed - just what they needed. She turned away from the monitors and pointed a finger at John,

" Stay there," she said, before looking at Ianto, " how did they get out? "

" It's Gray," John said - at the very mention of her boyfriend's brother, Lily sighed. She didn't like the sound of this man and she knew he must be wreaking revenge on Jack for accidently letting go of his hand during that alien invasion, so long ago. " He must be here in the city. He said he was going to take Jack's life, destroy it from the inside out. A weevil wake up call could just be the beginning. "

The comms beeped, and Gwen's voice came through, " Lily? Tosh and I are trying to get to the power station, but the streets are flooded with weevils. There's no chance we'll make it there in time. "

" Gwen, leave it to me," Owen replied, " I can get there. "

" How? " Lily asked.

" King of the Weevils, sweetheart, remember? " Owen asked, making her smile a little.

" Good luck then," she said.

" Um ... Lily," Ianto said, in a voice that made her know something was wrong. She turned around to see weevils approaching, and looked to see where she'd left her gun on the table at the other side of the room. Ianto's gun was also there, and Lily sighed.

The weevils approached and growled at them.

Lily and Ianto took a step backwards, and John saw what they were doing and followed suit. The weevils growled some more and came towards them, and the three moved back again, knowing they were in touble now, and there was little they could do about it.

Just when the weevils were approaching again, the cog door alarm blared, and there were three guns shots.

The weevils fell down, and Lily looked up to see Gwen and Tosh, guns out, standing there. Lily felt she'd never been so happy to see Gwen before.

" Oh thank god," she said, as the weevils fell down, " are we glad to see you."

Gwen strode forwards on seeing John, and pointed her gun at him, straight in the face. Lily shook her head and held up her hands, " Gwen, I know it's not ideal, but John's going to help us. He knows if he crosses us, he'll get killed. "

" Yeah, don't start," John told Gwen," I'll make things right ."

" Yeah, you will," spat Lily, " and you'll start by taking these things down to the cells - one bullet won't keep them down. " In a softer, more pleasant tone, she asked, " Ianto, Gwen, would you mind taking one too? Tosh, with me. "

The three did as they were told and each started dragging a weevils out, and Tosh took a seat at her computers. She tapped away, and Lily told her,

" We need to be tracing the signal - it's the key to finding Jack, and I'm expecting to hear from Owen soon - he'll need our help with the power station. "

Tosh nodded, " I'm on with the signal. "

" Good," Lily said, " I'll get onto it too. " She went over to her own computer and switched it on. She and Tosh spent a few tense minutes trying, with no avail, to track the signal. Tosh was upgrading the systems to try and use the newest technology to track, and then Owen's voice came through the comms

" Tosh? You're going to have to help me out here, because I dont have a blooy clue what I'm doing. "

Lily smiled encouragingly at Tosh, " Go on," she grinned, " you sort him out ."

Tosh swallowed, " Um .. I don't want you to panic here, Owen, but the reactor's already hit critical point. "

" You mean it's going into meltdown? " Owen demanded, while Lily thought of the repercussions of this - if it went into meltdown, half the city could die, not to mention Owen, if he was trapped in there, " can you fix it? "

" Course I can," Tosh said, " I'm brilliant. "

" I know you are," Owen replied, making Lily smile a litte.

Lily heard her mobile ringing from across the hub.

She was suprised, as all the phones had been cut out, but she supposed, thanks to her dad's tinkering, it had been improved. She'd not been able to get through to him earlier, and she wondered if this was him getting back to her.

Her phone was across the hub, on the same table as her gun, and as she looked at Tosh, " You know how serious this is," she said, " you need to save him, and I know you can do it. You can do anything you put your mind to. "

" Thanks," Tosh smiled, pushing her hair out of her face.

Lily walked across the hub, to the little table, just at the top of the autopsy and medical bay, her phone stopped ringing.

She could heard banging from one of the cells in the morgue, and she decided she'd investigate it once she'd called back her dad - for his name was on the missed call screen. She saw another figure down there, near the morgue cells, and she realised with a jolt that it was Gray.

She bobbed down so she could watch him - what the hell was he doing, she wondered?

He was stood in front of cell 003, which was the one the thudding was coming from, and he was about to answer it when Lily's phone started ringing again, and he whipped around to look at that.

Lily swore under her breath and her eyes widened - Gray was obviously dangerous, and she must be a major target in his campaign against Jack - she was the most important thing to Jack, so she dreaded what Gray would do to her. She grabbed her gun from the table, stuffed it in her pocket and prayed her phone would shut up and Gray wouldn't see her.

No such luck, as Gray turned around and started towards the stairs of the bay. Lily knew he'd see her as soon as he came up the stairs, and she knew she didn't have much of a chance, so she decided to run - lock herself in Jack's office. Anywhere she could. She'd gotten to the main area of the hub, not too far away from Tosh's computers, when she heard the voice from behind her,

" No use running, little girl. "

Lily stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. He had a cold glint in his eyes, and she thought of all the devatation he'd caused.

Somehow, Jack was missing, Owen was going to melted down to death unless Tosh could save him, and John, Gwen and Ianto had been in the cells too long - she was sure something had happened to them. It was all his fault.

" You're her, aren't you? " Gray asked, pulling a gun out and pointing it at her. She stared, and tried to keep calm, but right now, she didn't care if he shot her. Jack was lost, and without Jack, it didn't matter what happened to her. It's not like she'd die. She'd still be around, but she'd just be slightly different. Who cared, if Jack wasn't there?

Then a sudden throught struck her - cell 003 in the morgue. There was banging ... movement. Why as Gray so interested? What if ... no... it could be ... maybe Jack was in there!

Then her mind changed, and she thought about it - if she regenerated, she'd look different, she'd have a slightly different personality. What if it didn't work - what if she and Jack had problems adjusting to it? Oh God, now she just wanted to stay how she was.

" I'm who? " Lily asked Gray calmly.

" Jack's precious girlfriend," Gray replied," John tells me you're very important to Jack, and I'm sure you know by now, that I'm on a mission to rip apart everything Jack loves. What better way to hurt him than to take away the "love of his life." ? "

" You don't need to do this," Lily said softly, trying to plead with him and calm him down.

" I do," Gray said in a low, dangerous voice, " thanks to Jack, I was left to the mercy of an evil race of creatures. Now I need to take revenge on him. You need to die. "

" Don't do this," Lily said, watching his hand on the gun, and realising that it was a lost cause, and he was going to do it regardless, " you don't need - "

She was broken off by a loud bang, and there was an immense pain to her stomach, and she groaned. She stared at him in shock, not quite knowing what to do next, and all that flashed through her head was Jack - what the hell could she do now? She needed to get down to the morgue and free him.

Lily tried to keep upright, and she clung to the nearest table.

" Oh dear," Gray sighed, smiling at her in a sweetly sickening way, " what's it like? How does it feel? "

She groaned and her eyes filled with tears - Gray smirked and was about to walk away when he heard Tosh's voice - she was talking to Owen over the comms, trying to help him, and Gray didn't want her to stop the nuclear meltdown.

With the same evil glint in his eye as he'd had when faced with Lily, he started towards Tosh's desk.

Lily felt to her knees, a hand over her wound, and it seemed that although it was a shot straight to her, it wasn't deep enough or central enough for her to die instantly, and she felt like she was dying slowly and painfully.

She pulled her gun from her coat pocket and tried to aim squarely for Gray's back - he'd forgotten about her now, because his next target was Tosh.

She heard him say hello to Tosh, she heard him pump his gun - loading it ready, and before he could shoot, Lily got ready to shoot. She didn't even think about the ramifications of shooting someone - all that mattered was she was saving Tosh's life.

She pulled the trigger and before she knew it, Gray fell straight to the ground.

Tosh screamed, and after Gray fell, she saw Lily.

" Lily," she said, in a panic, moving forwards and kneeling beside her friend, " oh God - did he do this to you? "

Lily nodded, wincing in pain, " It doesn't matter," she said, smiling, " I got him. I'll be OK. He was going to kill you, and I got there first. I ... "

" Shhh, Lily, shhh," Tosh said, putting an arm around her and pulling her to her feet. She started towards the medical bay, pulling Lily along with her, leaving a trail of blood across the hub.

" Leave me, I'll be fine," Lily said, gasping suddenly, and pressing a hand to her wound.

Tosh's eyes filled with tears, " You ... you saved my life! " she said, " Oh God, I'm so thankful! You killed someone for me. I know how hard that must have been for you. "

" I didn't even think about it" Lily said, her voice wheezing as Tosh got her to the medical bay, " I just had to do it. "

Tosh had Lily in the medical bay, and Lily staggered and leant back against the railings, clinging to them, her face contorting in pain. Tosh ran around the medical bay, looking for thing that might help,

" Leave me," Lily said, shaking her head and trying to keep focused on what was going on.

" But you're going to die! " Tosh said, a tear falling down her cheek.

" I'm not," Lily said, " I can ... I can regenerate ... argh! ... remember? I'll be a bit different, but I'll still be Lily. Owen, on the other hand, is going to die if you don't get back to your computer and ... ah, god ... stop the meltdown. "

" But .. " Tosh said, more tears falling, " you saved my life. I've got to save yours. "

Lily shook her head, trying to be strong, though she was so close to falling to pieces, " I won't die. Thank you, but go save Owen. I mean, I know he's already dead, but he'll be gone permantently. Oh, before you go, open cell 003. Then I'll be fine. "

" Lily," Tosh said.

" Please Tosh," Lily said, wincing and falling to her knees, " I promise I'll be fine. I'll come back to you all. Vault 003 "

Tosh nodded and hurried over to the vaults.

Lily wasn't really aware of exactly what happened next. She was sitting down on the floor of the medical bay, and the pain coursing through her body was unbelieveable - she wad dying slowly and painfully, and the worst thing was, as she was in her first regeneration and had never regenerated before, she didn't know how to do it.

She'd always assumed it would happen automatically, but it didn't seem to be.

She thought about the Master dying in her father's arms all that time ago, after being shot. He bled to death, and Lily wondered how she was going to get through this.

Her eyes started to close, and just as they did, she heard his voice.

" Lily! " came the heavenly voice, " Lily, no, sweetheart, don't do this to me. Open your eyes - come on, look at me. "

His voice was soft and gentle, and at first she thought he was some sort of angel coming to take her on to heaven. She heard him muttering words, and felt his warm arms around her body, moving her around gently, and taking her into his arms.

Lily opened her eyes and looked up to see Jack.

" Oh, thank god," she breathed, on seeing him.

He was sat down with her, his arms around her body. She was covered in blood, and he didn't care, holding her close and rocking her gently.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek, pushing her hair away from her forehead and holding her close. His eyes welled up, and although he knew she'd survive, he didn't know what to do about it - he was so used to seeing the same Lily - same face, same personality traits. He loved everything about her, and she couldn't imagine anything changing, and he loved her exactly as she was.

" I'm sorry, baby," he said, " I was too late to save you, wasn't I? It was Gray, wasn't it? "

Lily looked at him with fear filled eyes, starting to realise she'd killed her boyfriend's brother, and he might not be too pleased about that. And he was already crying for her - she hated to see him crying, and it made her even more upset than she already was.

" Jack," she breathed, wincing.

" No, baby, no," he said, kissing her head again as his tears spilled onto her face, " save your energy. Come on now, you've got to regenerate for me. Come back for me. Come back and be beautiful again, Lily. Come back to me. "

" Everyone else," Lily groaned, trying and failing to ignore the pain, " Ianto, Gwen ... think they're in the cells. Might be trapped. Tosh, saving Owen. Owen's trapped in the power station. Gonna die. Already dead - he's going to ... to ... proper die. Forever. And Gray ... he's ... "

" Don't talk about him," Jack said, trying to be strong for her, " come on. Regenerate. "

" I'm so close," Lily breathed, confirming what Jack could already tell, " so close, but ... I don't know how. I can't do it, Jack. I can't ... I don't want to go. I want to stay like I am. "

" I konw, baby, but you can't. You've got to change for me, you hear me? Change. That's an order," he said, trying to smile.

He looked up and saw Ianto, Gwen and John standing on top of the medical bay. John had gotten them out of the cells safely, because with Gray's death, the hold over the cells was broken. Gwen had been about to tell Jack about the dead Gray in the middle of the hub, but stopped when she saw Lily.

" Shit," Ianto said, starting down the stairs.

" No,." Jack said, looking up, " stay back. She'll be OK. Just stay back. "

" No, no," Lily said, tears falling, " I can't do it Jack. I don't know how. "

" Regenerate," Jack said, " please, come on, please! "

He was pleading so hard and it was desperate now.

Lily groaned and tried to focus on regenerating - maybe if she thought about it, it'd happen. As she focused on it, a little burst of golden air escaped from her lips, and Jack sighed in relief

" Yes," he whispered, " that's it, baby, well done. You can do it. "

He was torn apart by the thought of having a new Lily - he loved her exactly as she was, and he hated the thought of her losing one of her lives - but she needed him so he was sure as hell going to be there

" I love you Jack," Lily said, grabbing the front of his shirt as the golden shroud surrounded her, " whatever happens. I love you. "

" Nothing's going to happen," Jack said, leaning down and closing his eyes. Lily laid her hand on his cheek and they shared their last kiss with Lily in her current form. It was a short sweet kiss, and when it was done, more and more whisps of gold energy were surrounded Lily

Her body started to rise up in the air, still surrounded by the golden whisps. She only rose a fe inches off the round, and Jack backed off, giving her some space.

Tosh ran over to join them, " Lily! " she shouted, " I've done it! Owen's on his way back now! " Tosh broke off when she saw what was happening, and she quietened down, and watched.

They all watched, transfixed, as her whole body was wrapped in golden light, and it was like a strong wind blowing through the entire hub, sending her arms shooting straight out, and the light completely surrounding her, until she was barely visible.

Lily could feel the change taking place, and her entire body felt strange - she couldn't believe this was happening, it was something she'd never experienced, and all she could think about was the change.

It felt like every cell in her body was different and as the wind took over, a warm rush passed through her body, and it all happened so quickly - suddenly she was back on her feet and the light was fading.

She was wearing the same clothes and she looked down at herself - she felt different. This was new.

The others watched her and no-one knew quite what to say.

" L-Lily? " Jack asked, staring at her.

Lily grinned, feeling happy and fresh from the regeneration. She looked around at everyone and around the hub, seeing it with new eyes, before her eyes settled on Jack.

" Hello kitten," she grinned.

* * *

**Author's Note: And there's the end of this story!**

**Please let me know what you thought of it!**

**As for the next story, it should be up soon (that is, is everyone would like to read a new story?) and will probably be called **_**The Regenerated Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter. **_**I'll post a note on the end of this story when it's up.**

**I'm really happy with the way this story turned out, especially this chapter. I think I've left a lot to explore in the next story, with how Lily and Jack adjust to Lily's regeneration, and whatever changes that brings, as well as Jack finding out that Lily killed Gray, and both of them coming to terms with that.  
Also, Jack and Lily's wedding should be in there somewhere, as will Journey's End and Stolen Earth from series 4 of Doctor Who. This will probably be a shorter story than the others, and will have a lot more original stuff of mine in, because I really want to explore the new dynamic between Lily and a new Jack, and see if I can get the wedding in there.**

**After this, will probably be another story including Children of Earth and the last of David Tennants episodes. **

**I'm considering Lily getting pregnant and she and Jack having a family at some point, although I'm not sure when.**

**As always, feedback about anything and suggestions or advice are welcome.**

**Thanks to everyone for being so loyal and reading this story! **


	23. End Note

Note

**Thanks to everyone who's read or reviewed this, and taken the time to show an interest. **

**The sequel is up now and available from my profile - it's in the Torchwood/Doctor Who crossover category too. It's called **_**The Regenerated Adventures of the Doctor's Daughter. **_

**It starts straight after Lily's regeneration in Exit Wounds, and fill follow her journey through a new regeneration, and how they cope with this, as well as her dad adjusting to the regeneration, and the wedding, and the series finale of Doctor Who series 4. **

**I'm hoping to do Children of Earth and the David Tennant specials, probably in a seperate story after the next one, which may also involve pregnant!Lily - I love writing Lily so much, I could go on forever! **

**Hope everyone likes the next story as much as they've liked this one and the others, and as much as I enjoy writing them.**


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